The scale of attacks on websites and blogs around the world is rising, and things are only going to get worse.
It’s probably 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 160,000+ legitimate WordPress web sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites and blogs are attacked every year! Could your website be next?
(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 flaw to attack unsuspecting WP websites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service cyber attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
You may think that the information in your website or blog is of little value to hackers, but the reality is that to a hacker, all websites provide an opportunity to benefit or profit at your expense.
If hackers can discover a flaw in the web software that allows them to remotely control your site, that website can then be used as a “bot” to attack other valuable sites.
The harsh reality is that malicious bots are probably searching for vulnerabilities and trying to break into your site at this very moment. Whether they can break in successfully will depend on how hard you can make things for them to continue trying until they can either work out a way to get in, or are forced to give up and go look for a less secure target.
How Much Information Are You Broadcasting To Hackers About Your Site?
If you visit a site like Hackertarget.com and run your site through their WordPress security scan …
(Hackertarget – WP Security Check Product image source: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the check will return various results and details about your site …
(website security scan results. Source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the tool shown above that if you can see all of this information, hackers can too.
(Image source: BlogDefender.com)
The ability to see which version of WordPress you are using, which plugins and themes you have installed, and which files have been uploaded to certain directories are all useful information to hackers, as this informs them about any exploitable security vulnerabilities, especially in older versions.
Fortunately, there is a way to stop broadcasting all of this information about your web site and help to protect it against malicious attacks.
Blog Defender
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 creator of the BlogDefender security suit developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress site he set up for his mother got hacked into and suspended by the hosting company. This particular site was almost brand new and had practically no value to offer, yet it was still hacked.
Matt only became aware of what had happened after being suspended by his host and seeing that a significant amount of unusual activity had taken place inside the site, as well as the addition of several malicious files designed to lure unsuspecting visitors to the site and hijack their financial details.
(Image source: Blog Defender)
Matt’s experience illustrates the fact that all websites have value to hackers.
Blog Defender shows you where potential security weaknesses in your WordPress site are …
And then shows you how to easily fix these …
Plugins
The Blog Defender security suite of products comes with three WordPress plugins:
The first plugin in the product suite provides automated backups …
(Source: BlogDefender website)
The “Automated Backups” plugin lets you do automated site and file backups to your server, third-party servers and leading cloud-based backup solutions using different backup methods (e.g. Email), automate complete or partial backups, exclude tables or files from backups, restore backups, replace URLs (useful when migrating sites to new domains or server locations), do bulk text string replacements in databases, perform malware scans and blacklist checks automatically, and more.
Plugin #2 provides your site with security …
(Product image: BlogDefender.com)
The plugin performs a range of essential site security functions (see “Plugin Features” section below).
Plugin #3 “WordPress Scan & Repair” scans WordPress sites to see whether anything unusual in your source code has been tampered with, and repair any problems it detects …
(Screenshot: BlogDefender website)
Plugin #3 “WP Scan & Repair” also scans content to see if any malicious content have been inserted into your site, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where others benefit from your hard work without offering you any benefit in return).
Step-By-Step Videos
In addition to the plugins, Blog Defender also includes a number of training videos and PDF/DOC guides that will teach you exactly what you need to do to protect your site from hackers and bots …
(Product image source: BlogDefender site)
More info:
Benefits
Below we have listed just some of the benefits and advantages of using Blog Defender to make your WordPress site invisible to hackers and botnets on your site:
Be Up And Running In No Time
The plugins included in the Blog Defender product are very easy to install. Simply upload the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Very Simple And Easy To Follow
Blog Defender can be used as a step-by-step training product that walks you through the website security process and shows you exactly what to do, including how to set everything up, and even which free plugins to use to get things done.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Protect your WordPress website from hackers, spammers, bad bots, data mining tools and malicious users attempting to exploit your site for personal and financial gain at your expense.
- Protects Intellectual Property From Theft – If you are a digital product creator (e.g. downloadable ebooks, video tutorials, etc.), your work can be stolen and end up becoming freeware on free downloading sites.
- Avoid Getting Suspended By Your Web Host And Delisted By Search Engines – When a website has been hacked, expect to go through a whole lot of frustration and aggravation. It can take days to uncover the problem and sort through any issues these have caused. As a result, your, web presence can be closed by your webhost, or even blacklisted by search engines. And if this isn’t painful enough, hackers can spam your contact list and steal your business 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.
The product addresses the following security areas:
- Host Security Advisory
- Plugin Security Audits
- WordPress 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
- File Monitoring
- Monitor Links
- Known Offender Blocking
- Automate WordPress Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighter Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Online Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender follows a logical process to help protect your website, addressing potential hosting security issues, using tools to quickly identify risky themes and plugins, and then implementing site-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender website security process. Screenshot source: BlogDefender website)
Testimonials
Below are a few of the testimonials and feedback plugin users have written about Blog Defender:
”Great way to secure your blog!” JohnThornhill – www.johnthornhill.com
***
“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 developer, Matt Garrett, since Blog Defender’s first release in 2012, no Blog Defender-protected websites or blogs have been hacked.
Matt Garrett, the product developer 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 an escalating arms race and all security solutions are only as good as the knowledge and tools developers can currently 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 many premium security products or services currently being offered at a higher price.
Product 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.
Plugin Price
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.
Please Note: The price of the Blog Defender software depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Currently, the plugin is being retailed for the amounts shown above. This may not be the actual pricing set by the software developer when you visit the product website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Info
For installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
What We Recommend
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 simple maintenance tasks like keeping your WordPress software, WordPress plugins and WordPress themes up-to-date, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can expose your website to attacks by hackers and bots.
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 if your site is compromised, what security features to look for in a webhost, and which tools can make the task of securing your WordPress site easier.
For more information, visit the plugin website here: Blog Defender Security Suite For WordPress
***
***