The scale of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is massive, and it’s 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+ WordPress-powered web sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites and blogs are hacked every year! Will yours be one of them?
(Image: 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 reported by security firm Sucuri, hackers had leveraged a flaw to attack unsuspecting WP websites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every site with a security vulnerability can present an opportunity to hackers. A compromised site not only presents hackers opportunities to improve their hacking skills and win “respect” amongst their peers, but it can also be a valuable resource for launching distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, distributing malware and defrauding users through information theft.
If a malicious user can exploit a security vulnerability in your system that allows them to compromise the control of your blog, your website or blog can then be employed to target more valuable websites.
The truth is that brute-force software bots are very likely scouring for security weaknesses and trying to break into your website at this very moment. Whether they will break into your site successfully will depend on how difficult you will make it for hackers to keep trying until they can either discover a way to get in, or are forced to give up and go look for a less secure target.
How Much Information About Your WordPress Site Are You Broadcasting To Hackers?
Does your website run on WordPress? If so visit Hackertarget.com and run your site through their WordPress security scan …
(Website Security Check Screenshot image: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the test returns a number of results and information about your website setup …
(Hackertarget – WP security scan results. Product image: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the tool shown above that if you are able to freely access all of this information, hackers can too.
(Screenshot source: Blog Defender)
The ability to see what 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 on your server are all potentially useful information to hackers, as this can inform them about potential holes or weaknesses, especially in older versions.
Fortunately, there is a way you can stop broadcasting all of this information about your website and protect against other malicious threats.
Blog Defender Security Solution For WordPress
Product Description
The product is a package 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 developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress blog he set up for his mother got hacked into and suspended by the webhost. This blog was new and so had literally nothing of value to offer, yet it still was hacked.
Matt only became aware of this after being contacted by his host and seeing that a significant amount of suspicious activity had occurred within the site, as well as the addition of several malicious files designed to lure visitors to the site and hijack Paypal account information.
(Screenshot source: BlogDefender.com)
Matt’s experience shows that every website is valuable to hackers.
Blog Defender shows you where the security holes in your WordPress installation are …
And let’s you easily fix these …
Plugins
The product suite comes with 3 plugins for WordPress:
The first plugin in the Blog Defender suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Product image source: BlogDefender site)
Plugin #1 lets you do secure site and file backups to your server, third-party servers and cloud storage solutions using a number of backup methods, 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 bulk text replacements in databases, perform auto database scans and repairs, and more.
Plugin #2 provides your WordPress website with security …
(Source: BlogDefender site)
The plugin provides a range of vital site protection functions (see “Product Features” section below).
Plugin #3 “WordPress Scan & Repair” scans your plugins, WordPress themes, core files and content to see whether your source code has been found, and repair any problems it detects …
(Screenshot source: Blog Defender)
Pro Plugin #3 “WP Scan & Repair” 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 people benefit from your hard work without reciprocating the favor).
Blog Defender – Video Training
In addition to plugins, the Blog Defender WP security product suite also includes 7 step-by-step video tutorial modules and training documentation that teach you exactly how to protect your site from hackers and bots …
(Product image: Blog Defender)
Go here to learn more about this plugin:
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 web site:
Fast And Simple To Install And Configure
The Blog Defender plugins install like any plugin. Just upload a zip file containing the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your WordPress admin login and activate.
Simple And Easy To Follow
Blog Defender can be used as an easy-to-follow DIY step-by-step training product that will guide you through the website security process and show you exactly what to do, including how to set things up, and even which free plugins you should use to get the job done.
Some additional benefits of using the plugin include:
- Secure your site from hackers, spammers, botnets, data miners and malicious users attempting to exploit your site for personal and financial gain at your expense.
- Secure Your Info Products – If you are a digital product creator (e.g. downloadable e-books, videos, etc.), your product can end up as freeware on free sharing sites.
- Avoid Getting Closed By Your Web Host And Delisted By Search Engines – When a website is 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 any issues these have caused. During this time, your, sites can be suspended by your host, or even deindexed in search engines. In addition, hackers can spam your contact list and steal your personal or financial information, you could be fined or even charged with fraud, and more.
Plugin Features
Blog Defender was created to locks down your site and keeps your business safe and secure 24/7.
Blog Defender covers the following areas:
- Host Security Advisory
- Plugin Security Audits
- WordPress Theme Security Audits
- Anti Brute Force Security
- Anti Cross-Site Scripting
- WordPress Database Security
- Nefarious Traffic Blocking
- Hide WordPress ‘Tell Tale’ Signs
- Anti-Comment Spam Blocking
- File Monitoring
- Monitor Links
- Block Known Offenders
- Automating WordPress Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighten Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender uses a logical sequence of steps for securing your site, addressing hosting security, using tools to quickly identify risky themes and WordPress plugins, and then implementing website-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender website security process. Product image source: BlogDefender.com)
User Testimonials
Below are just a few of the testimonials plugin customers have written about Blog Defender:
”This is a seriously good product!” Simon Hodgkinson, www.hodgkinsonpublishing.com
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”A top level force against hacker attacks!” Micheal Nicholas, Impact Info Marketing
Plugin Tips
According to Matt Garrett’s site, since Blog Defender’s first release, no sites protected by the solution have been hacked.
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 never-ending game of cat and mouse and all security solutions are only as good as the information and tools that developers can currently get their hands on. The latest release of Blog Defender creates an easier WordPress security solution that doesn’t need constant attention, is quite inexpensive and it’s as good if not better than many web 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 refund guarantee.
Plugin 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 Blog Defender depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Currently, the plugin sells for the pricing shown above. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the software author when you visit the website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing details:
Additional Info
For installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
Use This Product
No matter what type of business you run or plan to run online and how small you think your web presence is, web security is something you cannot ignore.
WordPress is a secure web platform, but neglecting basic maintenance tasks like keeping your WP installation, plugins and WP themes updated to their latest versions, tightening file and data security 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 to help prevent your sites being attacked, what security features to look for in a webhost, and how to avoid all the major security risks without paying a lot of money.
For complete details, visit the plugin website here: Blog Defender
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