The sheer number of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is massive, and this is getting worse.
It’s safe to assume that if your website or blog hasn’t been hacked yet, then it’s only a matter of time before someone attempts to hack into your site.
On March 11, 2014, technology sites like Cnet.com began reporting that over 162,000 legitimate WordPress-powered websites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites and blogs are attacked every year! Will yours be one of them?
(Image source: 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)
According to leading security firm Sucuri, hackers had leveraged a well-known flaw to attack unsuspecting WP web sites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every website or blog with a security vulnerability provides an opportunity to hackers. A vulnerable web site not only provides wannabe hackers opportunities to improve their skills and win “respect” amongst their peers, but it can also acts as a platform for launching stealth attacks, spreading malware and as a source for creating information theft.
If a malicious user can discover a vulnerability in your setup that allows them to gain access and control of your website or blog, your website or blog can then be used as part of a larger network of “bots” to target larger and more valuable sites.
The reality is that brute-force software bots are most likely trying to break into your web site at this very moment. Whether they can get in successfully depends on how difficult or easy you can make things for hackers and bots to continue trying until they discover how to get access, or give up and go look for a less secure target.
How Much Information About Your Site Are You Broadcasting To Hackers?
If you visit Hackertarget.com and run your site through their WordPress security check …
(Hackertarget – WP Security Check Product image source: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the check returns various results and information about your site …
(Hackertarget – website security scan results. Screenshot source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the tool shown above that if you are able to see all of this information about your WordPress site, then hackers can too.
(Product image: BlogDefender.com)
The ability to see what version of WordPress you are using, which plugins and themes you have installed, and which files have been uploaded to certain directories can all be valuable information to hackers, as this informs them about any potential security weaknesses, especially in older versions.
Fortunately, there is a simple and inexpensive solution that will stop broadcasting all of this information about your website and help to protect it against malicious attacks.
Blog Defender Security Product Suite For WordPress Websites & Blogs
Product Description
The product is a suite of WordPress security video tutorials, WordPress plugins and tools, plus WordPress security documentation in PDF and DOC formats.
Matt Garrett, the developer of the BlogDefender security suit developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress site he set up for his mother had been hacked into and suspended by the hosting company. This site was almost brand new and had literally nothing of value to offer, yet it still was hacked.
Matt only became aware of the event after being contacted by his host and observing that a significant amount of suspicious activity had taken place within his site, as well as the addition of several malicious files by whoever had broken into the site.
(Image source: Blog Defender)
This simple example demonstrates that all websites have value to hackers.
Blog Defender shows you where potential security holes in your web site are …
And then shows you how to fix these quickly, easily and inexpensively …
Blog Defender – Plugins
Blog Defender includes 3 plugins for WordPress:
Pro Plugin # 1 in the Blog Defender suite provides automated backups …
(Image source: BlogDefender website)
The plugin lets you do automated site, file and data backups to your server, external servers and cloud backup solutions using different backup methods (e.g. Email), schedule complete or partial backups, exclude files or tables from backups, restore backups, replace URLs (useful when migrating sites to new domains or server locations), do bulk text string replacements in your WordPress database, perform malware scans and blacklist checks automatically, and more.
The second plugin provides your web site with security …
(Source: BlogDefender.com)
Pro Plugin #2 “WP Security” performs a range of essential site and file protection functions (see “Plugin Features” section below).
Pro Plugin # 3 allows you to scan your files and content to see whether your source code has been found, and repair any problems detected …
(Screenshot: Blog Defender)
Pro Plugin #3 “WP Scan & Repair” also scans content to see if any malicious content have been added to your site files, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where people benefit from your content without offering you any reciprocal benefit in return).
Blog Defender – Videos
In addition to the plugins, Blog Defender also includes several step-by-step tutorial videos plus training guides that will teach you exactly what you need to do to protect your website from malicious users …
(Product image: BlogDefender site)
To learn more about the plugin go here:
Benefits
Here we have listed just some of the many benefits of using Blog Defender to make your WordPress site invisible to hackers and botnets on your website:
Fast And Easy To Install And Configure
The plugins install just like every WordPress plugin. Simply upload a zip folder containing the plugins to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Really Simple And Easy To Follow
Blog Defender can be used as an easy-to-follow DIY training product that will guide you through the website security process and show you what to do, including how to set everything up, and even which WordPress plugins you can use for free to get the job done without incurring extra costs.
Additional benefits and advantages include:
- Secure your site from hackers, spammers, bad bots, data mining tools and malicious users whose aims is to ruin your business for personal and financial gain at your expense.
- Protect Your Info Products – If you sell digital products (e.g. downloadable ebooks, video training, etc.), your work can be stolen and end up as freeware on free downloading sites.
- Avoid Getting Suspended By Your Web Host And Delisted By Search Engines – When a website gets hacked, you should expect to go through a whole lot of inconvenience and heartache. It can take days to uncover the problem and sort through any issues these have caused. During this time, your, website can be suspended by your host, or even blacklisted by search engines. And if that is not painful enough, 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.
Plugin Features
Blog Defender was created to keeps your site and your business safe and secure 24/7.
Blog Defender helps you fix the following security areas and vulnerabilities:
- Hosting Security Advisory
- Plugin Security Audits
- WP Theme Security Audits
- Anti Brute Force Security
- Anti Cross-Site Scripting
- WordPress Database Security
- Nefarious Traffic Blocking
- Hide WordPress ‘Tell Tale’ Signs
- Anti-Comment Spam Blocking
- Monitoring Files
- Track Links
- Known Offender Blocking
- Automating Core Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighter Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender uses a logical process for securing your site, addressing hosting security, using tools to quickly identify risky themes and WordPress plugins, and then helping you implement site-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender website security process. Product image source: BlogDefender site)
User Feedback
Here are a couple of the testimonials and feedback that plugin users have published about the Blog Defender security suite:
”This is a seriously good product!” 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
Useful Tips
According to the product’s site, no Blog Defender-protected websites have been hacked since Blog Defender’s first release.
Matt Garrett, the product developer states on his site …
“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 perpetual game of cat and mouse and all security solutions are only as good as the knowledge and tools that developers can currently harness. The latest release of Blog Defender provides users with 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 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, 30 day, full refund guarantee.
Plugin Pricing
Blog Defender is normally available with a personal license only for use on unlimited sites. When we last checked, however, it was also being sold with Developer rights, allowing users to secure client sites as well.. Price = $47.00.
Note: Current pricing for Blog Defender can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the price when this review was written. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the software author when you visit the site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing details here:
Additional Plugin Info
For help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
Download The Product
No matter what kind of business you run or plan to run online and how small you think your web presence is, you simply cannot afford to ignore the importance of website security.
WordPress is a secure web platform, but neglecting basic maintenance tasks like keeping your WordPress installation, plugins and WordPress themes up-to-date, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can have disastrous consequences.
Adopting a security procedure like the one that Blog Defender provides, will help you learn what’s going on in your site and where the security holes are, what hosting companies can and can’t do to help prevent your sites being compromised, what security features to look for in a webhost, and how to avoid major security risks without paying for costly solutions.
For more details, visit the plugin website: Blog Defender
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