The sheer number 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 your website or blog hasn’t been hacked yet, then it’s only a matter of time.
On March 11, 2014, technology sites like Cnet.com reported that 160,000+ WordPress-powered web sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites are hacked every year! Will yours be one of them?
(Screenshot: BlogDefender site)
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 sites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every website with a security vulnerability can be an opportunity to hackers. A compromised web site not only presents new hackers opportunities to improve their hacking skills and claim “bragging rights” among their peers, but it can also be a platform for launching DDoS attacks, distributing malware and engaging in information theft.
If a malicious user can hack into and take over your blog, that blog can then be used as part of a larger network of “bots” to target other valued sites.
The truth is that hackers are very likely trying to break into your web site right now. Whether they can be successful depends on how hard you have made things for hackers to keep trying until they find a way to get in, or are forced to give up and go look for an easier target.
How Much Information Are You Broadcasting To Hackers About Your Site?
Do you own a WordPress site? If so, visit Hackertarget.com and run your site through their WordPress security scan …
(Hackertarget – WordPress Security Scan Source: https://hackertarget.com/wordpress-security-scan)
You will see that the check returns a number of results and details about your site …
(Hackertarget – WordPress security scan results. Screenshot: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the tool shown above that if you are able to access all of this information about your WordPress site, then so can hackers.
(Image source: BlogDefender website)
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 can be useful information to hackers, as this informs them about potentially exploitable vulnerabilities, especially in older versions.
Fortunately, there is a solution to stop broadcasting all of this information about your web site and protect against malicious attacks.
Blog Defender WordPress Security Plugin
Product Description
The product is a suite of WordPress security video tutorials, plugins and tools, plus WordPress security documentation in PDF and DOC formats.
Matt Garrett, the developer of the BlogDefender security suit began looking for a way to develop BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress site he set up for his mother had been hacked into and suspended by its hosting company. This particular site was new and 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 seeing that a significant amount of unusual activity had occurred inside his site, as well as the addition of several phishing files designed to drive unsuspecting visitors to the site and hijack financial details.
(Image source: Blog Defender)
This example provides the valuable lesson that all websites have value to hackers.
Blog Defender shows you where potential security holes in your web site are …
And then shows you how to fix these quickly and easily …
Plugins
Blog Defender comes with 3 plugins for WordPress:
Plugin #1 “Automated Backups” in the Blog Defender product suite provides automated backups …
(Product image: BlogDefender website)
The plugin lets you do secure backups to your server, external servers and well-known cloud-based storage solutions using different backup methods (including FTP and email backups), schedule complete or partial backups, exclude tables or files from backups, restore previous backups, replace URLs (useful when migrating sites to different domains or server locations), do mass text replacements in your WordPress database, perform auto database scans and repairs, and more.
Pro Plugin # 2 provides WordPress security …
(Screenshot: Blog Defender)
The “WordPress Security” plugin performs a range of essential website security functions (see “Plugin Features” section below).
Plugin #3 allows you to scan your web site to see whether any code in your files has been changed, and fix problems …
(Screenshot source: BlogDefender site)
Pro Plugin # 3 also scans content to see if any malicious URLs have been inserted into your site files, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where others benefit from your work without offering any reciprocal benefit in return).
Blog Defender – Step-By-Step Training Videos
In addition to the plugins, the Blog Defender suite of products also includes a number of step-by-step video training and downloadable guides that teach you exactly how to protect your website from hackers and bots …
(Screenshot source: Blog Defender)
Learn more here:
Plugin Benefits
Here are just a few of the benefits of using Blog Defender to make your WordPress site invisible to hackers and botnets on your site:
Ready To Start Using In Minutes
The plugins are really easy to install. Simply upload them to your Plugins folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Very Simple And Easy To Follow Training
Blog Defender is a DIY training product that will take you through the website security process and show you what to do, including how to set things up, and even which WordPress plugins you can install for free to get the job done without incurring additional costs.
Additional benefits of this plugin include the following:
- Protect your WordPress site from hackers, spammers, botnets, data miners and malicious users whose aims is to exploit your site for personal and financial gain at your expense.
- Protects Intellectual Property From Being Stolen – If you sell an info product (e.g. downloadable ebooks, video tutorials, etc.), your product can end up as freeware on free download sites.
- Avoid Getting Blocked By Search Engines – When a site is hacked, expect to go through a great deal of frustration and aggravation. It can take days to uncover the problem and sort through any issues these have caused. As a result, your, sites can be suspended by your host, or even blocked in search engines. Additionally, your personal contacts could be spammed, your customer list and financial details can be stolen, you could be fined or even charged with fraud, and a whole lot more.
Features
Blog Defender make your your WordPress website or blog invisible to hackers and malicious bots.
The product helps you fix the following security areas and vulnerabilities:
- Hosting Security Advisory
- WordPress Plugin Security Audits
- Theme Security Audits
- Anti Brute Force Security
- Anti Cross-Site Scripting
- MySQL Database Security
- Nefarious Traffic Blocking
- Hide WordPress ‘Tell Tale’ Signs
- Anti-Comment Spam Blocking
- Monitor Files
- Monitoring Links
- Blocking Known Offenders
- Automating Core Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighten Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Online Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender provides a logical process to help secure your website, addressing potential hosting security issues, using scanning and detection tools to identify risky themes and WordPress plugins, and then helping you implement site-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender security process. Product image source: Blog Defender)
Testimonials
Below are a couple of the testimonials and comments customers have written about Blog Defender:
”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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”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
Plugin Tips
According to the product’s website, since Blog Defender was first released, no sites protected with the product have been hacked.
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 that developers presently have access to. The latest release of Blog Defender provides users with an easier security solution that doesn’t need constant attention, is quite inexpensive and it’s as good if not better than many 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, full money-back guarantee.
Product 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.. Price = $47.00.
Please Note: The cost of purchasing this product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The above reflects the pricing at the time this article was published. This may or may not be the actual pricing charged by the product seller when you visit the product site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin 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, web security is something you simply cannot afford to ignore.
WordPress is a secure web platform, but neglecting basic maintenance tasks like making sure that your WP installation, WP plugins and WordPress themes are kept up-to-date, tightening file and data security and taking other necessary precautions can expose your website to attacks by hackers and bots.
Blog Defender helps 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 attacked, what security features to look for in a webhost, and how to avoid major WordPress security holes without costly solutions.
For complete details, visit the plugin website: Blog Defender Security Plugin For WordPress Sites
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