The sheer number of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is rising, and this is getting worse.
It’s probably safe to assume that if you haven’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 162,000 WordPress-powered web sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites and blogs are hacked every year! Will yours be one of them?
(Screenshot 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)
As reported by security firm Sucuri, hackers had leveraged a well-known flaw to attack unsuspecting WordPress web sites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service cyberattack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every blog with a security vulnerability offers some value to hackers. A compromised web site offers hackers with a valuable resource for launching stealth attacks, spreading malware and as a source of information theft.
If a hacker can find a way to gain control of your website, the site can then be used as a “bot” to attack larger and more valued websites.
The reality is that brute-force software bots are probably trying to hack into your website right now. Whether they will get into your site successfully or not, depends on how hard you can make things for them to keep persisting until they discover how to get in, or are forced to give up and decide to look for a less secure target.
How Much Information About Your Site Are You Broadcasting To Hackers?
Do you own a WordPress site? If so, visit Hackertarget.com and run your website through their WordPress security scan …
(Hackertarget – WordPress Security Scan Product image source: https://hackertarget.com/wordpress-security-scan)
You will see that the check will display a number of results and details about your website setup …
(Hackertarget – WP security check results. Source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the tool shown above that if you are able to see all of this information, hackers can too.
(Source: Blog Defender)
The ability to see which 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 in your site are all potentially valuable information to hackers, as this informs them about any security weaknesses, especially in older versions.
Fortunately, there is a simple and inexpensive way you can stop broadcasting all of this information about your website and make your site invisible to malicious attackers and bots.
Blog Defender Security Plugin
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 began developing BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress site he set up for his mother got hacked into and suspended. This particular blog had literally no value to offer, yet it was still targeted by hackers.
Matt only became aware of what had happened after being suspended by his host and noticing that a significant amount of suspicious activity had taken place inside the site, as well as the addition of a number of phishing files designed to lure unsuspecting visitors to the site and steal their financial information.
(Image source: BlogDefender website)
Matt’s experience shows that that every website is valuable to hackers.
Blog Defender shows you where the security holes in your website are …
And then shows you how to easily fix these …
Blog Defender – Plugins
The Blog Defender security suite of products includes three plugins:
Pro Plugin # 1 in the product suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Product image: BlogDefender site)
This plugin lets you do secure site, file and data backups to your server, external servers and popular cloud-based solutions using different backup methods, automate complete or partial backups, exclude tables or files from your backups, restore previous backups, replace URLs (for site migrations), search and replace text strings in your WordPress database, perform malware scans and blacklist checks automatically, and more.
Pro Plugin # 2 provides WordPress security …
(Screenshot: BlogDefender site)
This plugin provides a range of essential site security functions (see “Plugin Features” section below).
Pro Plugin # 3 allows you to scan WordPress sites to detect if code in your files has been modified, and fix any problems it detects …
(Screenshot image: BlogDefender.com)
Pro Plugin #3 “WordPress Scan & Repair” also scans content to see if any malicious scripts have been added to your site files, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where people benefit from your hard work without reciprocating the favor).
Blog Defender – Video Training
In addition to the plugins, Blog Defender also includes 7 training modules in video format and PDF/DOC guides that will show you exactly what you need to do to protect your site from hackers …
(Product image: BlogDefender.com)
More info:
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 web site:
Ready To Use In Minutes
The plugins included with Blog Defender are quite easy to install. Just upload the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Very Simple And Easy To Follow
Blog Defender is a DIY step-by-step training product that guides you through the website security process and shows you what to do, including how to set everything up, and even which plugins you can use for free to get things done without paying for unnecessary expenses.
Additional plugin benefits include the following:
- Protect your WordPress site from hackers, spammers, botnets, data miners and malicious users attempting to exploit your site for personal and financial gain at your expense.
- Protect Your Info Products – If you are an information product author (e.g. downloadable ebooks, video tutorials, etc.), your product can end up as freeware on free download sites.
- Avoid Getting Closed By Your Web Host And Deindexed By Search Engines – When a site is hacked, expect to go through a serious amount of frustration and heartache. It can take days to uncover problems and sort through the issues these have caused. During this time, your, sites can get suspended by your host, or even deindexed in search engines. In addition, your contacts could end up being spammed, your customer list and financial details can be stolen, you could end up being fined or even charged with fraud, and more.
Plugin Features
Blog Defender provides many features to WordPress users.
The product covers the following security areas:
- Webhost Security Advisory
- WP Plugin Security Audits
- WP 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
- Monitor Files
- Link Monitoring
- Known Offender Blocking
- Automating Core WP Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighten Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender uses a logical process for securing your web site, addressing potential hosting security issues, using scanning and detection tools to quickly identify risky themes and WordPress plugins, and then helping you implement website-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender security process. Image source: BlogDefender site)
Testimonials
Here are a couple of the testimonials plugin customers have submitted regarding the Blog Defender security suite:
”This is a seriously good product!” Simon Hodgkinson, www.hodgkinsonpublishing.com
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”I discovered some incredible security tricks!” David Walker – www.inboxrockstar.com
Useful Tips
According to the plugin developer, Matt Garrett, no websites or blogs using Blog Defender have been hacked since Blog Defender’s first release in 2012.
The product developer also 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.”
The war on hackers is is a never-ending game of cat and mouse and all security solutions are only as good as the knowledge and technologies that developers presently can harness. The latest release of Blog Defender provides users with an easier security solution that doesn’t require constant attention, doesn’t cost a fortune and it’s as good if not better than many web security products or services currently being offered at a higher price.
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, 30 day, full refund guarantee.
Software Price
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.. Cost = $47.00.
Note: The cost of purchasing Blog Defender can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The above reflects the current pricing when this content was written. This may or may not be the actual price set by the plugin author when you visit the plugin website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Info
For installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
In Conclusion
No matter what kind of business you run or plan to run online and how small you think your web presence is, you cannot ignore the importance of securing your site.
WordPress is a secure platform, but neglecting essential maintenance tasks like updating your WordPress software, plugins and WP themes, tightening file and data security and taking other necessary precautions can expose your site to malicious by hackers and bots.
Adopting a security policy like the one Blog Defender provides, will help you understand what’s going on in your site and where the security holes 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 full details, visit the plugin website here: Blog Defender Security Plugin For WordPress
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