Wordpress Targeted by Hackers. Tips to secure Wordpress
Wordpress is the number one content management system (CMS) around and has recently been attacked on a level never seen before. If you are a webmaster you should consider a few tips on securing your wordpress website so you don't become a victim
Botnets have existed for many years and it is a giant business as these networks control infected computers around the world and they can use them for whatever purposes they want whether to harvest data from the computer or to perform actions.
Now Wordpress has become the main target for botnets to get access to more people by hacking into wordpress websites and uploading code which then makes it possible to infect more computers when users visit their website.
If you are a wordpress user you don't want this to happen to your site for many reasons.
You will first lose traffic for computers that have any sort of virus protection that can catch this.
In google chrome sometimes pages are blocked if the site has malicious code on it.
You can basically assume your user might not ever come back to your website if they see this on your page.
Next you could possible get de-indexed from a search engine and it all depends on what the hacker does to your website which could range from inserting a bit of malicious code, inserting links or other content as a means of advertising someone else's site and in the worse case scenario, complete hijacking of your website and their content overwriting yours.
From an SEO point of view this would have some serious negative consequences.
According to one article in BBC which you can read here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22152296
The botnet is attempting to login to wordpress websites using the username 'admin' which is typically the default username for any admin.
Obviously most of the login pages on any sites have the prefix /wp-admin so the botnets can automatically find most of the login panels and at least have a username and just need to crack the password to get into your valuable site.
So what can you do to protect your site better?
Wordpress Security Tips
1. Avoid using admin as a login. This is the default but create something that is personal to you.
2. Use a strong password. If your password is weak and also used on other profiles you use, perhaps email, then in theory if someone has your password at one profile, they can try to login to all profiles with this password whether it be wordpress, banking, paypal, moneybookers-skrill, etc...
3. Limit Login Attempts Plugin : This plugin makes it difficult for people to be spending all day guessing your password or for a robot to be automatically attempting logins.
You can even get lockout notifications and the ip address that tried to login.
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/limit-login-attempts/
4. Restricted Site Access Plugin : This plugin goes a step further and lets you block IP addresses or make your IP part of an unrestricted range.
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/restricted-site-access/
Hacker attacks keep on dimming the developers’ work
Unfortunately, the hackers are still coming up with ways and methods to insert themselves into someone else’s site.
These malicious individuals have been around since the internet went global and everyone started taking part in it. Hackers usually attempt to steal private information or control over a complete site to promote a particular service that generates them income.
For these criminals, taking complete control over a private site is easier than working their own way into success. Sadly, many hard-working developers and content creators have been victims of the lack of respect of these evildoers.
If you are a site’s developer or content creator, make sure to educate yourself on all the known security measurements that can help you stay protected from any hacker attacks.
Developing a website is extremely difficult, but making it grow in popularity and value is even harder, and the hackers could jeopardize the integrity of your site within minutes only. Therefore, it is never too much to be extra cautious with the protection and privacy protocols that you use on your platform.
The hackers damaging the iGaming industry
Sadly, the iGaming industry has been one of the main victims when it comes to hacker attacks on the web.
Lots of betting sites, affiliates and players have gotten scammed or robbed by these professional criminals that have made it nearly impossible for the iGaming industry to grow and develop as a reliable and completely safe field where anyone can invest their savings without risks.
As of this moment, more than 1,000 hacker attacks on iGaming brands are registered per month, most of them targeting the deposits and withdrawals of the players so that they can run away with a lot of money easily and quickly.
Apart from that, many of these criminals have immersed themselves into the iGaming industry by launching illegitimate betting platforms where they pretend to offer legal and authorized gambling services to the players worldwide.
Usually, these fake betting sites have rigged games as well as fraudulent terms and conditions that will ultimately lead the players to a complete loss of their funds.
To make matters worse, since these are not real and regulated betting sites, the players are left with no chances of recovering a single penny of the money that was invested into them.
In general, hacker attacks have represented the biggest threat to the iGaming industry since its very beginnings, and it appears to keep on being that way for the future.
What to do to prevent the hacker attacks
As an operator or webmaster, the best thing you can do is applying the best security and privacy measurements to your respective platforms. Catch up with the latest trends in web protection and stay up to date with the most common ways or methods used by the hackers as well.
As a player or investor, the best thing to do is to stay sharp and attentive to all every single aspect of the site that you want to invest on. Check the terms and conditions multiple times from beginning to end and look closely for any loopholes that could be used to harm you in any way possible.