The sheer number of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is massive, and things are 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 reported that 160,000+ WordPress web sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites and blogs are attacked every year! Could your website be next?
(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)
As described by security firm Sucuri, hackers had leveraged a flaw to attack unsuspecting WordPress web sites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service cyberattack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every website with a vulnerability can be seen as an opportunity to hackers. A compromised website not only presents wannabe hackers opportunities to improve their hacking skills and claim “bragging rights” from their peers, but it can also serve as a valuable resource for distributed denial of service attacks, distributing malware and engaging in information theft.
If a malicious user can exploit a flaw in your security system and gain any form of control of your website, your site can then be used as a “bot” to attack larger and more valued websites.
The truth is that software-driven bots are probably searching for vulnerabilities and trying to break into your website while you are reading this article right now. Whether they can get into your site successfully will depend on how difficult you can make it for hackers to continue trying until they can find a way to break in, or are forced to decide to look for a more vulnerable target.
How Much Information About Your Site Are You Broadcasting To Hackers?
If you visit a site like Hackertarget.com and run your website through their WordPress security check …
(WordPress Security Scan Screenshot: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the test will display various results and details about your site …
(Hackertarget – website security check results. Screenshot source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the above tool that if you can see all of this information about your blog, then hackers can too.
(Screenshot image: BlogDefender site)
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 valuable information to hackers, as this informs them about potentially exploitable security weaknesses, especially where site owners haven’t updated their files.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution that can stop broadcasting all of this information about your website and protect against malicious attacks.
Blog Defender
Product Description
The product is a package of WordPress security video tutorials, WordPress plugins and tools, plus WordPress security documentation in PDF and DOC formats.
Matt Garrett, the developer of BlogDefender developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress blog he set up for his mother had been hacked into and suspended. This particular blog was new and so had practically nothing of value to offer, yet it still was attacked.
Matt only became aware of what had happened after being suspended by his host and noticing that a significant amount of unusual activity had taken place within the site, as well as the addition of several malicious files by whoever had broken into his site.
(Product image source: BlogDefender.com)
This simple example illustrates the fact that every website is valuable to hackers.
Blog Defender scans you website for security vulnerabilities …
And let’s you fix these quickly …
Blog Defender – WordPress Plugins
The Blog Defender security suite includes three WordPress plugins:
Pro Plugin # 1 in the product suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Product image: Blog Defender)
This plugin lets you do automated site and file backups to your server, external servers and well-known cloud-based storage solutions using different backup methods, schedule complete or partial backups, exclude files or tables from your backups, restore backups, replace URLs (for site migrations), do mass text string replacements in your WordPress database, perform auto database scans and repairs, and more.
The second plugin provides WordPress security …
(Screenshot image: BlogDefender site)
Pro Plugin #2 “WordPress Security” performs a range of website security functions (see “Plugin Features” section below).
Plugin #3 “WordPress Scan & Repair” scans your content and files to detect whether any code in your files has been modified, and repair any problems detected …
(Product image source: BlogDefender website)
Plugin #3 “WP Scan & Repair” also scans content to see if any malicious content have been added to your site, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where people benefit from your content without reciprocating the favor).
Video Tutorials
In addition to plugins, the Blog Defender suite of products also includes 7 step-by-step video training modules and printable guides that will teach you exactly what you need to do to protect your website from malicious attacks …
(Source: Blog Defender)
Go here to learn more about this plugin:
Benefits
Below are just a few of the 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 included in the Blog Defender product suite install like every WP plugin. Just upload the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your admin user login and activate.
Very Simple And Easy To Follow Training
Blog Defender can be used as a DIY step-by-step training product that guides you through the website security process and shows you exactly what to do, including how to set things up, and even which free WordPress plugins to install to get things done without incurring additional expenses.
Some additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Secure your site from hackers, spammers, botnets, data mining tools and malicious users whose aims is to exploit your site for their own personal and financial gain.
- Protects Intellectual Property From Theft – If your site sells an information product (e.g. downloadable ebooks, video training, etc.), your work can be stolen and end up as freeware on free download sites.
- Avoid Getting Suspended By Your Web Host And Banned By Search Engines – When a site has been hacked, you can expect to go through a great deal of inconvenience and heartache. It can take days to uncover the problem and sort through the issues these have caused. During this time, your, website or blog could get suspended by your webhost, or even deindexed in search engines. In addition, your contacts could be spammed, your subscriber list and financial details can be stolen, you could be fined or even charged with fraud, and much more.
Blog Defender Features
Blog Defender provides many unique features to web site owners.
The product covers the following issues:
- Webhost Security Advisory
- WordPress Plugin Security Audits
- WP 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
- Monitor Files
- Monitoring Links
- Blocking Known Offenders
- Automating Core WP Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighten Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Online Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender follows a logical process to help protect your website, addressing hosting security, using tools to quickly identify risky themes and plugins, and then implementing site-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender security process. Screenshot image: Blog Defender)
Feedback From Users
Below are just a few of the testimonials and comments that plugin users have provided for Blog Defender:
”Great way to secure your blog!” JohnThornhill – www.johnthornhill.com
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”My business is built around the WordPress platform and I’m embarrassed to admin I’ve been slack in the security department. However, Matt’s training soon put that right! I followed each detailed video to the letter and discovered some incredible security tricks and plugins I’d never heard of before. Better still, all the plugins were free to download too! The end result? My WordPress membership site is now locked down tighter than Parkhurst at midnight and if anybody tries hacking it, I’ll be the first to know! thanks again Matt, I’m off to secure the rest of the blogs in my portfolio!” David Walker – www.inboxrockstar.com
Useful Tips
According to the plugin developer, no Blog Defender-protected websites were hacked since Blog Defender was first released back in 2012.
Matt 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.”
Cybersecurity is is a constant game of cat and mouse and all security solutions are only as good as the information and technologies that developers presently have access to. The latest release of Blog Defender provides users with an easier WordPress security solution that doesn’t require constant attention, won’t cost a fortune and it’s as good if not better than many 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, full money-back guarantee.
Product Licensing 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.
Please Note: Pricing for Blog Defender can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Presently, the plugin is being retailed for the amounts shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing charged by the plugin developer when you visit the site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Information
For help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
Use This 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 ignore the importance of securing your website or blog.
WordPress is a very secure platform, but neglecting essential maintenance tasks like keeping your WordPress core files, plugins and themes updated to their latest versions, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can have disastrous consequences.
Adopting security procedures like 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 if your websites are hacked, what security features to look for in a webhost, and which tools can make the task of securing your website easier.
To learn more, visit the plugin website here: Blog Defender Security Product Suite For WordPress Websites
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