The sheer number of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is massive, 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 reported that 160,000+ WordPress-powered websites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites and blogs are hacked every year! Will yours be one of them?
(Image 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 described 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.
You may think that your website or blog has no value to hackers, but the reality is that to a hacker, every website provides an opportunity to profit or benefit at your expense.
If a hacker can discover a web software vulnerability that allows them to gain control of your blog, the site can then be employed as a “bot” to attack other highly-valued web sites.
The truth is that brute-force software bots are most likely looking for exploits and trying to hack into your site as you are reading this page. Whether they will hack into your site successfully or not, depends on how hard or easy you will make it for them to keep persisting until they can discover how to get access, or decide to look for a less protected target.
How Much Information About Your WordPress Site Are You Broadcasting To Hackers?
Do you own a WordPress site? If so, visit Hackertarget.com and run your website through their WordPress security check …
(Hackertarget – WordPress Security Scan Screenshot image: https://hackertarget.com/wordpress-security-scan)
You will see that the check returns various results and details about your website …
(Hackertarget – WP security check results. Product image source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using this tool that if you can see all of this information, then so can hackers.
(Screenshot image: Blog Defender)
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 all be potentially valuable information to hackers, as this informs them about any exploitable vulnerabilities, especially in older versions.
Fortunately, there is a simple and inexpensive way you can stop broadcasting all of this information about your web site and make your site invisible to hackers and botnets.
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 creator of the BlogDefender security suit developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress-driven blog he set up for his mother had been hacked into and suspended. This particular blog was fairly new and had literally no value to offer, yet it was still attacked.
Matt only became aware of this after being informed by his host and observing that a significant amount of unusual activity had taken place inside his server, as well as the addition of several phishing files designed to drive visitors to the site and steal their Paypal account details.
(Screenshot: BlogDefender.com)
This example demonstrates that all websites have value to hackers.
Blog Defender shows you where potential security holes in your WordPress installation are …
And let’s you fix these quickly, easily and inexpensively …
Blog Defender – WordPress Plugins
The Blog Defender security product suite includes 3 plugins:
The first plugin in the Blog Defender suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Product image source: BlogDefender site)
This plugin lets you do automated backups to your server, external servers and leading cloud-based backup solutions using different backup methods (including FTP and email backups), automate full or partial backups, exclude tables or files from backups, restore backups, replace URLs (useful when migrating websites 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 …
(Product image source: BlogDefender.com)
The plugin provides a range of essential site and file protection functions (see “Product Features” section below).
Plugin #3 allows you to scan WordPress sites to see whether any code in your files has been tampered with, and repair any problems detected …
(Product image: BlogDefender.com)
Pro 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 reciprocating the favor).
Training Videos
In addition to the plugins, Blog Defender also includes seven step-by-step video tutorial modules plus printable documentation that show you exactly how to protect your website from malicious users …
(Product image source: BlogDefender site)
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Plugin Benefits
Here we have listed just a few of the benefits of using Blog Defender to make your WordPress site invisible to hackers and botnets on your website:
Quick And Simple To Install And Set Up
The Blog Defender plugins install like every other plugin. Just upload a zip folder containing the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your WordPress admin user area and activate.
Really Simple And Easy To Follow Training
Blog Defender can be used as a useful DIY training product that walks you through the website security process and shows you what to do, including how to set things up, and even which plugins you can install for free to get the job done inexpensively.
Some additional benefits of using the plugin include:
- Secure your website from hackers, spammers, bad bots, data mining tools and malicious users attempting to exploit your site for their own personal and financial gain.
- Protects Intellectual Property From Being Stolen – If you’re an information product creator (e.g. downloadable ebooks, videos, etc.), your work can be stolen and end up as freeware on free sharing sites.
- Avoid A Nightmare Situation – When a site gets hacked, you can expect to go through a serious amount of inconvenience and heartache. It can take days to uncover the problem and sort through any issues these have caused. As a result, your, websites could get suspended by your webhost, or even blocked by search engines. Additionally, your contacts can be spammed, your customer list and financial details could be stolen, you could be fined or even charged with fraud, and a whole lot more.
Blog Defender Features
Blog Defender provides many features to web site owners.
The product helps you fix all of the following security areas:
- Host Security Advisory
- WordPress Plugin Security Audits
- WordPress Theme Security Audits
- Anti Brute Force Security
- Anti Cross-Site Scripting
- WP Database Security
- Nefarious Traffic Blocking
- Hiding WordPress ‘Tell Tale’ Signs
- Anti-Comment Spam Blocking
- Monitoring Files
- Link Monitoring
- Block Known Offenders
- Automate Core WP Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighten Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Online Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender uses a logical sequence of steps to help protect your site, addressing hosting security, using scanning and detection tools to quickly identify risky themes and plugins, and then helping you implement website-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender WordPress security process. Screenshot image: BlogDefender site)
Testimonials From Customers
Here are just a few of the testimonials that users have submitted regarding the Blog Defender solution:
”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
Useful Tips
According to Matt Garrett’s site, no websites or blogs using Blog Defender have been hacked since Blog Defender was originally released.
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 an escalating arms race and all security solutions are only as good as the knowledge and tools that developers can harness. The latest release of Blog Defender creates an easier WordPress security solution that doesn’t require constant attention, is quite inexpensive 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 risk-free, thirty day, complete refund guarantee.
Plugin Price
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.
Note: Pricing for Blog Defender can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Currently, the software sells for the amounts shown above. This may not be the actual price charged by the software author when you visit the product website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Info
For installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
Our Recommendation
Regardless of the type 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 simple maintenance tasks like keeping your WP installation, plugins and WP themes up-to-date, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can expose your site to malicious by hackers and bots.
Blog Defender helps you learn what’s going on in your site and where the vulnerabilities are, what hosting companies can and can’t do if your site is hacked or compromised, what security features to look for in a webhost, and which tools can make the task of securing your site easier.
For more details, check out the plugin here: Blog Defender WordPress Security Plugin
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