The scale of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is increasing on a daily basis, and things are getting worse.
It’s safe to assume that if you haven’t been hacked yet, then it’s inevitable that at some point in time someone will attempt to hack into your site.
On March 11, 2014, technology sites like Cnet.com began reporting that over 160,000+ WordPress sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites are attacked every year! Could yours be next?
(Image source: BlogDefender.com)
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 WordPress websites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service cyberattack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every website with a vulnerability offers some value to hackers. An unsecured website or blog provides hackers with a valuable platform for distributed attacks, spreading malware and engaging in information theft.
If someone can discover a vulnerability in the web software, the site can then be employed as a “bot” to attack other valued sites.
The harsh reality is that brute-force software bots are most likely trying to hack into your site while you are reading this page. Whether they can successfully hack into your site will depend on how difficult you will make things for hackers to keep trying until they find a way to break in, or give up and decide to look for an easier target.
How Much Information About Your WordPress Site Are You Broadcasting To Hackers?
Do you own a WordPress site? If so, visit a site like Hackertarget.com and run your site through their WordPress security scan …
(Hackertarget – WP Security Scan Screenshot source: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the test will display various results and details about your site setup …
(WordPress security scan results. Screenshot source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the tool shown above that if you can freely access all of this information about your WordPress website, then hackers can too.
(Source: BlogDefender.com)
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 can be potentially valuable information to hackers, as these can inform them about exploitable security weaknesses, especially in older versions.
Fortunately, there is a way to stop broadcasting all of this information about your website and protect against other malicious threats.
Blog Defender Security Solution For WordPress Sites
Product Description
Blog Defender is a package of WordPress security video tutorials, WordPress plugins and tools, plus WordPress security documentation in PDF and DOC formats.
Matt Garrett, the creator of the BlogDefender security suit developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress blog he set up for his mother had been hacked into and suspended. This blog was quite new and had literally nothing to offer, yet it was still hacked.
Matt only became aware of this after being contacted by his host and noticing that a significant amount of unusual activity had occurred inside his server, as well as the addition of a number of malicious files by whoever had broken into his mother’s site.
(Source: BlogDefender.com)
Matt’s experience should be enough to convince you that all websites are valuable to hackers.
Blog Defender shows you where potential security weaknesses in your website are …
And let’s you fix these quickly, easily and inexpensively …
Plugins
The Blog Defender security product comes with 3 WordPress plugins:
Pro Plugin # 1 in the Blog Defender product suite provides automated backups …
(Screenshot: BlogDefender.com)
Plugin #1 “Automated Backups” lets you do automated site, file and data backups to your server, third-party servers and cloud-based solutions using different backup methods (including FTP and email backups), schedule complete or partial backups, exclude tables or files from your backups, restore previous backups, replace URLs (for site migrations), do bulk text replacements in databases, perform auto database scans and repairs, and more.
The second plugin provides WordPress security …
(Screenshot image: Blog Defender)
Plugin #2 “WP Security” performs a range of vital site security functions (see “Blog Defender Features” section below).
The third plugin lets you scan WordPress sites to detect if any of your files have been changed, and repair the problem …
(Screenshot image: Blog Defender)
Pro Plugin # 3 also scans content to see if any malicious scripts have been inserted into your site, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where others benefit from your work without reciprocating the favor).
Videos
In addition to plugins, Blog Defender also includes 7 step-by-step training modules (video) plus PDF/DOC guides that teach you exactly how to protect your site from malicious users …
(Image source: BlogDefender.com)
More info:
Benefits Of Using Blog Defender
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:
Ready To Start Using In No Time
The plugins are very easy to install. Just upload them to your Plugin folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Really Simple And Easy To Follow Training
Blog Defender is an easy-to-follow DIY training product that walks you through the website security process and shows you exactly what to do, including how to set things up, and even which plugins you can use for free to get things done.
Additional benefits include:
- Protect your WordPress website 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 – If you are a digital product author (e.g. downloadable e-books, video tutorials, etc.), your work can be stolen and end up as freeware on peer-to-peer sharing sites.
- Avoid A Tragic Situation – When a site gets hacked, expect to go through a serious amount of frustration and heartache. It can take days to uncover problems and sort through any issues these have caused. As a result, your, web presence could be closed by your webhost, or even blacklisted by search engines. In addition, your personal contacts can be spammed, your customer list and financial details can be stolen, you could end up being fined or even charged with fraud, and a whole lot more.
Features
Blog Defender provides many great features to website owners.
Blog Defender helps you fix all of the following security areas and vulnerabilities:
- Hosting Security Advisory
- WordPress Plugin Security Audits
- Theme Security Audits
- Anti Brute Force Security
- Anti Cross-Site Scripting
- WordPress Database Security
- Nefarious Traffic Blocking
- Hiding WordPress ‘Tell Tale’ Signs
- Anti-Comment Spam Blocking
- File Monitoring
- Monitoring Links
- Known Offender Blocking
- Automating WordPress Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighter Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender uses a logical sequence of steps for securing your website, addressing hosting security, using scanning and detection tools to identify risky WordPress themes and plugins, and then implementing website-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender WordPress security process. Screenshot source: BlogDefender.com)
Feedback From Users
Below are a few of the testimonials and comments that plugin users have provided for the Blog Defender product:
”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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”Just one tip could have prevented my blogs getting hacked!” Richard Legg – www.richard-legg.com
Plugin Tips
According to Matt Garrett’s site, since Blog Defender was first released in 2012, no Blog Defender-secured sites have been hacked.
Matt also 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.”
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 access. The latest release of Blog Defender creates an easier 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.
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 no-risk, 30 day, 100% refund guarantee.
Software Cost
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.
Please Note: Current pricing for the Blog Defender software depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. When we last checked, the software retails for the prices shown above. This may not be the actual price set by the product author when you visit the plugin site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing information:
Additional Info
For help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
Install These Plugins
Regardless of the type of business you run or plan to run online and how small you think your web presence is, you cannot ignore the importance of web security.
WordPress is a very secure platform, but neglecting simple maintenance tasks like making sure that your WordPress installation, WordPress plugins and themes are kept updated to their latest versions, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can have disastrous consequences.
Blog Defender helps 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 hacked, what security features to look for in a webhost, and how to avoid all the major WordPress security holes without paying a lot of money.
For more information, check out the plugin here: Blog Defender WordPress Security Suite
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