The scale of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is massive, and this is only going to get worse.
You can safely 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 began reporting that 160,000+ WordPress web sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites and blogs are attacked every year! Could your website be next?
(Screenshot source: BlogDefender website)
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 flaw to attack unsuspecting WordPress websites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service cyber-attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every website or blog with a vulnerability presents an opportunity to hackers. All websites are valuable to hackers. Large, medium and small websites, personal blogs, government web sites … even websites owned by online security and anti-hacking experts can and have been targeted.
If a malicious user can hack into and gain remote control of your site, the blog can then be employed as a “bot” in a planned cyberattack against other valuable sites.
The reality is that malicious bots are probably trying to break into your web site while you are reading this at this very moment. Whether they will do this successfully or not, will depend on how hard or easy you have made it for them to continue trying until they work out how to break in, or give up and go look for an easier 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 site through their WordPress security check …
(WP Security Check Screenshot: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the check returns various results and information about your WordPress setup …
(Hackertarget – WordPress security check results. Screenshot source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the tool shown above that if you can access all of this information about your blog, so can hackers.
(Screenshot: Blog Defender)
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 are all potentially useful information to hackers, as this can inform them about any exploitable vulnerabilities, especially where the owners haven’t updated their sites.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution that will stop broadcasting all of this information about your web site and protect against other malicious threats.
Blog Defender Security Plugin For WordPress Websites
Product Description
The product is a package of WordPress security video tutorials, plugins and tools, plus a WordPress security PDF/DOC file.
Matt Garrett, the creator of BlogDefender developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress blog he set up for his mother had been hacked into. This particular site was not being used and had practically no value to offer, yet it still was hacked.
Matt only became aware of what had happened after being suspended by his host and seeing that a significant amount of suspicious activity had taken place within his site, as well as the addition of several malicious files designed to lure visitors to the site and steal their financial information.
(Product image: BlogDefender site)
This example shows that all websites have value to hackers.
Blog Defender scans you WordPress site for security holes …
And then shows you how to fix these quickly …
WP Plugins
The product suite comes with 3 plugins:
Pro Plugin # 1 in the Blog Defender product suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Image source: BlogDefender website)
Plugin #1 “Automated Backups” lets you do secure backups to your server, external servers and cloud-based backup solutions using a number of backup methods (e.g. Email), schedule full or partial backups, exclude files or tables from your backups, restore backups, replace URLs (for site migrations), search and replace text strings in your database, perform auto database scans and repairs, and more.
Pro Plugin # 2 provides your website with security …
(Screenshot image: BlogDefender.com)
The plugin performs a range of essential file and site security functions (see “Product Features” section below).
Plugin #3 “WP Scan & Repair” allows you to scan your files and content to see if any of your files have been found, and repair the problem …
(Image source: BlogDefender.com)
Pro Plugin # 3 also scans content to see if any malicious content have been inserted into your site files, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where people benefit from your work without reciprocating the favor).
Step-By-Step Tutorial Videos
In addition to the plugins, Blog Defender also includes 7 videos plus printable documentation that will teach you exactly what you need to do to protect your site from hackers …
(Image source: BlogDefender site)
Learn more about the plugin here:
Benefits
Below 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 web site:
Fast And Simple To Install And Implement
The plugins included in the Blog Defender product suite install just like any regular WP plugin. Simply upload a zip file containing the plugins to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Very Simple And Easy To Follow
Blog Defender can be used as an easy-to-follow DIY training product that will walk 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 the job done inexpensively.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Protect your WordPress site from hackers, spammers, bad bots, data mining tools and malicious users attempting to exploit your site for their own personal and financial gain.
- Protect Your Info Products From Being Shared Around The Net – If your site sells an information product (e.g. downloadable e-books, videos, etc.), your product can end up as freeware on peer-to-peer sharing sites.
- Avoid A Tragic Situation – When a website gets hacked, you can expect to go through a great deal of frustration and aggravation. It can take days to uncover the problem and sort through the issues these have caused. Your, sites can be suspended by your webhost, or even blacklisted in search engines. And if that is not painful enough, your personal contacts could end up being spammed, your subscriber list and financial details could be stolen, you could be fined or even charged with fraud, and much more.
Features
Blog Defender make your your website or blog invisible to hackers and malicious botnets.
The product provides fixes for the following security areas and vulnerabilities:
- Hosting Security Advisory
- Plugin Security Audits
- 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
- Monitor Files
- Link Tracking
- Known Offender Blocking
- Automate WP Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighten Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender follows a logical process to help protect your site, addressing hosting security, using scanning and detection tools to identify risky WP themes and WordPress plugins, and then implementing site-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender WordPress security process. Product image: BlogDefender website)
User Testimonials
Here are just some testimonials and comments that plugin users have written about the Blog Defender product suite:
”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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“Sure wish I’d had this before I lost over a dozen blogs just recently!” Kathe Lucas – www.wackycentral.com
Plugin Tips
According to the plugin’s website, since Blog Defender’s first release, no Blog Defender-protected sites were hacked.
Matt Garrett 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 an escalating arms race and all security solutions are only as good as the information and tools that developers can currently get their hands on. The latest release of Blog Defender creates an easier WordPress security solution that doesn’t require constant attention, doesn’t cost you a fortune and it’s as good if not better than most premium security products or services currently being offered at a higher price.
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 no-risk, 30 day, complete 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: Price details for Blog Defender depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Currently, the plugin sells for the pricing shown above. This may not be the actual price charged by the product developer when you visit the plugin website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing information:
Additional Information
For installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
Install These Plugins
No matter what kind of business you run or plan to run online and how small you think your web presence is, securing your website is something you cannot ignore.
WordPress is a secure web platform, but neglecting simple maintenance tasks like updating your WordPress installation, plugins and WP themes, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can expose your site to attacks by hackers and bots.
Adopting a security policy such as the one that Blog Defender provides, will help you understand what’s going on in your site and where the vulnerabilities are, what hosting companies can and can’t do to help prevent your sites being hacked or compromised, what security features to look for in a webhost, and how to avoid all the major security risks without investing in expensive solutions.
To learn more, visit the plugin website: Blog Defender Security Solution For WordPress
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