The scale of attacks on websites and blogs around the world is massive, and things are only going to get worse.
It’s safe to assume that if you haven’t been hacked yet, then it’s only a matter of time.
On March 11, 2014, technology sites like Cnet.com reported that 160,000+ WordPress sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites are attacked every year! Could your website be next?
(Image: Blog Defender)
According to the Cnet report,
“With some old-fashioned trickery, hackers were able to get more than 162,000 legitimate WordPress-powered Web sites to mount a distributed-denial-of-service attack against another Web site.”
(Source: cnet.com/news/ddos-attack-is-launched-from-162000-wordpress-sites)
As described by security firm Sucuri, hackers had leveraged a flaw to attack unsuspecting WP websites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
You may think that your site is of little value to hackers, but the reality is that to a hacker, all websites are an opportunity to profit or benefit at your expense.
If a hacker can discover a security flaw that allows them to access and take over your site, that site can then be used to target larger and more highly-valued websites.
The reality is that software-driven bots are most likely trying to hack into your website right now. Whether they can get into your site or not, depends on how difficult you have made it for them to continue trying until they either work out how to get in, or are forced to decide to look for a less secure target.
How Much Information Are You Broadcasting To Hackers About Your WordPress Site?
If you visit a site like Hackertarget.com and run your site through their WordPress security scan …
(Website Security Check Screenshot source: https://hackertarget.com/wordpress-security-scan)
You will see that the check will return a number of results and information about your WordPress setup …
(website security check results. Screenshot image: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using this scanning tool that if you are able to freely access all of this information, so can hackers.
(Screenshot source: Blog Defender)
The ability to see what version of WordPress you are using, which plugins and themes you have installed on your site, and which files have been uploaded to certain directories can all be valuable information to hackers, as this informs them about exploitable security weaknesses, especially in older versions.
Fortunately, there is a way to stop broadcasting all of this information about your site and protect against malicious attacks.
Blog Defender Security Solution For WordPress Websites
Product Description
The product is a package of WordPress security video tutorials, plugins and tools, plus WordPress security documentation in PDF and DOC formats.
Matt Garrett, the creator of BlogDefender developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress blog he set up for his mother had been hacked into and suspended. This particular site was devoid of content and had practically nothing to offer, yet it was still hacked.
Matt only became aware of the event after being informed by his host and seeing that a significant amount of suspicious activity had occurred inside the site, as well as the addition of a number of phishing files by whoever had broken into his site.
(Screenshot source: BlogDefender.com)
Matt’s experience is evidence that all websites are valuable to hackers.
Blog Defender scans you web site for security holes …
And let’s you fix these quickly, easily and inexpensively …
Blog Defender – Plugins
Blog Defender comes with 3 plugins:
Pro Plugin # 1 in the product suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Product image: BlogDefender.com)
This plugin lets you do secure site, file and data backups to your server, external servers and leading cloud storage solutions using different backup methods (including FTP and email backups), schedule complete or partial backups, exclude tables or files from backups, restore backups, replace URLs (for site migrations), search and replace text strings in your WordPress database, perform malware scans and blacklist checks automatically, and more.
Plugin #2 provides your site with security …
(Screenshot source: Blog Defender)
Plugin #2 provides a range of website security functions (see “Product Features” section below).
Plugin #3 “WordPress Scan & Repair” allows you to scan your web site to detect whether any of your files have been altered, and fix the problem …
(Product image: BlogDefender website)
Pro Plugin #3 “WordPress Scan & Repair” also scans content to see if any malicious content have been inserted into your site, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where others benefit from your hard work without reciprocating the favor).
Videos
In addition to plugins, the Blog Defender suite of products also includes video training guides plus downloadable documentation that will teach you exactly how to protect your website from malicious users …
(Product image: Blog Defender)
Learn more about this plugin here:
Plugin Benefits
Here are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Blog Defender to make your WordPress site invisible to hackers and botnets on your site:
Easy To Install
The plugins are really easy to install. Simply upload the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your WP administrator section and activate.
Really Simple And Easy To Follow Training
Blog Defender is a DIY training product that will take you through the website security process and show you what to do, including how to set everything up, and even which free WordPress plugins to install to get things done.
Additional benefits include the following:
- Protect your site from hackers, spammers, botnets, data mining tools and malicious users attempting to ruin your business for their own personal and financial gain.
- Protects Intellectual Property From Being Stolen – If you are an info product creator (e.g. downloadable e-books, videos, etc.), your product can end up becoming freeware on download sharing sites.
- Avoid Getting Blocked By Search Engines – When a website is hacked, you should expect to go through a whole lot of inconvenience and heartache. It can take days to uncover problems and sort through the issues these have caused. As a result, your, websites could be closed by your host, or even blocked by search engines. And if this is not enough to have to deal with, hackers can spam your contact list and steal your personal details or financial information, you could be fined or even charged with fraud, and a whole lot more.
Features
Blog Defender was created to locks down your site and keeps your business safe and secure 24/7.
The product provides fixes for all of the following issues:
- Host Security Advisory
- Plugin Security Audits
- WordPress Theme Security Audits
- Anti Brute Force Security
- Anti Cross-Site Scripting
- WP Database Security
- Nefarious Traffic Blocking
- Hide WordPress ‘Tell Tale’ Signs
- Anti-Comment Spam
- File Monitoring
- Link Monitoring
- Blocking Known Offenders
- Automating Core WP Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tightening Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Online Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender uses a logical process for securing your website, addressing potential hosting security issues, using tools to identify risky themes and WordPress plugins, and then helping you implement website-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender website security process. Product image: BlogDefender website)
Testimonials
Below are some of the testimonials and comments that plugin customers have written about the Blog Defender solution:
”This is probably one of those times you ask yourself ‘do I really need this product?’ Let’s face it, on the surface it’s not going to immediately put more money in your pocket or even add some cool new gizmo to your site… The truth is yes you do and you need it now. I’ve been in the online business for 10+ years and had my fair share of hacked sites which have cost me time and money (lots of it)…I’ve also seen a good number of people have their reputations and entire businesses left in tatters when their sites have been hacked. Right now is the time to act, because when it’s too late, well basically you’ll be screwed (and you’ll regret the day you passed over such a great opportunity to protect yourself for so little). And by the way, if you think your web host will come to your rescue think again, you’ll be on your own, paying to put things right and suffering the cost of lost sales and business. This is a seriously good product and if you rely on WordPress to make you money online then it’s nothing less than essential. Buy it, follow Matt’s expert advice and don’t end up another victim!” Simon Hodgkinson, www.hodgkinsonpublishing.com
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”I sure wish I’d had this before I lost over a dozen blogs just recently. Okay, it was my fault for not securing things more, BUT… I didn’t have a handy, current reference like this to turn to for quick help either.;)” Kathe Lucas – www.wackycentral.com
Plugin Tips
According to the plugin developer, Matt Garrett, no Blog Defender-secured websites were hacked since Blog Defender was first released.
The product developer states on his site, however …
“With the volume of attacks nowadays … we probably won’t hold forever, so we’ve been busy creating even tougher WordPress security.”
Cybersecurity is is a never-ending game of cat and mouse and all security solutions are only as good as the knowledge and tools developers can currently get their hands on. The latest release of Blog Defender creates an easier security solution that doesn’t need constant attention, is quite inexpensive and it’s as good if not better than most premium security products or services currently being offered at a higher price.
Blog Defender Plugin Support
The product is well-supported, can be used by both Mac and PC users, is compatible with the latest WordPress release and is backed by a risk-free, thirty day, full refund guarantee.
Software Pricing
Blog Defender is normally available for personal use only on unlimited sites. When we last checked, however, it was also being sold with Developer rights, allowing users to secure client sites as well.. Cost = $47.00.
Note: Pricing for the Blog Defender plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The above reflects the pricing at the time this review was published. This may not be the actual pricing set by the software author when you visit the plugin site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing information here:
Additional Information
For help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
What We Recommend
Regardless of the type of business you run or plan to run online and how small you think your web presence is, you cannot afford to ignore the importance of web security.
WordPress is a secure web platform, but neglecting simple maintenance tasks like updating your WordPress installation, WordPress plugins and themes, tightening file and data security and taking other necessary precautions can have disastrous consequences.
Blog Defender helps you learn what your responsibilities as a website owner are, what hosting companies can and can’t do if the security on your website is compromised, what security features to look for in a webhost, and how to avoid major WordPress security holes without investing in expensive solutions.
For more information, check out the plugin here: Blog Defender
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