The sheer number of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is increasing on a daily basis, and it’s only going to get worse.
It’s probably 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 over 160,000+ WordPress websites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites and blogs are attacked every year! Will yours be one of them?
(Image: 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)
As described by security firm Sucuri, hackers had leveraged a well-known flaw to attack unsuspecting WordPress web sites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
You may think that the information in your site provides no value to hackers, but the reality is that to a hacker, every website is an opportunity to benefit at your expense.
If a hacker can find a security weakness, your website or blog can then be employed to target other valued sites.
The reality is that malicious bots are most likely trying to hack into your blog right now. Whether they can do this successfully or not, depends on how challenging you will make it for hackers to keep persisting until they can either work out how to get access, or are forced to give up and go look for a less protected target.
How Much Information Are You Broadcasting To Hackers About Your WordPress Site?
If you visit Hackertarget.com and run your website through their WordPress security check …
(WP Security Check Screenshot source: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the scan returns a number of results and details about your site …
(Hackertarget – WordPress security check results. Product image source: 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 hackers can too.
(Screenshot: BlogDefender website)
Being able 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 these can inform them about potentially exploitable security weaknesses, especially where site owners haven’t updated their software versions.
Fortunately, there is a solution that will stop broadcasting all of this information about your site and make your site invisible to malicious users and bots.
Blog Defender
Product Description
Blog Defender is a suite of WordPress security video tutorials, plugins and tools, plus a WordPress security PDF/DOC file.
Matt Garrett, the creator of BlogDefender developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress site he set up for his mother had been hacked into. This particular blog had practically no value to offer, yet it still was hacked.
Matt only became aware of what had happened after being suspended by his host and seeing that a significant amount of suspicious activity had taken place inside the site, as well as the addition of several phishing files designed to drive visitors to the site and hijack their financial details.
(Product image source: BlogDefender site)
This simple example demonstrates that every website is valuable to hackers.
Blog Defender scans you WordPress installation for potential security vulnerabilities …
And let’s you fix these quickly …
WordPress Plugins
Blog Defender comes with three plugins:
The first plugin in the Blog Defender product suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Product image: BlogDefender.com)
Plugin #1 lets you do automated backups to your server, third-party servers and well-known cloud-based storage solutions using different backup methods (e.g. FTP), automate complete or partial backups, exclude files or tables from backups, restore previous backups, replace URLs (useful when migrating websites to different domains or server locations), do mass text replacements in databases, perform auto database scans and repairs, and more.
Pro Plugin #2 “WordPress Security” provides WordPress security …
(Screenshot image: BlogDefender site)
The plugin provides a range of vital file and site security functions (see “Blog Defender Features” section below).
Pro Plugin # 3 allows you to scan WordPress sites to detect whether anything has been modified, and repair problems …
(Screenshot image: BlogDefender site)
Plugin #3 “WP Scan & Repair” also scans content to see if any malicious scripts have been inserted into your site files, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where others benefit from your hard work without reciprocating the favor).
Blog Defender – Videos
In addition to the plugins, the Blog Defender suite of products also includes several step-by-step tutorial videos plus downloadable documentation that will teach you exactly how to protect your site from hackers and bots …
(Product image source: BlogDefender.com)
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Plugin Benefits
Here are just some of the many benefits and advantages of using Blog Defender to make your WordPress site invisible to hackers and botnets on your website:
Fast And Simple To Install And Configure
The Blog Defender plugins install just like every plugin. Just upload a zip file containing the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your WordPress admin user account and activate.
Really Simple And Easy To Follow
Blog Defender can be used as an easy-to-follow DIY step-by-step training product that walks you through the website security process and shows you exactly what to do, including how to set things up, and even which plugins you can use for free to get the job done inexpensively.
Additional benefits of using the plugin include the following:
- Protect your WordPress website from hackers, spammers, bad bots, data miners and malicious users whose aims is to exploit your site for personal and financial gain at your expense.
- Protects Intellectual Property From Theft – If your site sells a digital product (e.g. downloadable ebooks, video tutorials, etc.), your product can end up becoming freeware on free sharing sites.
- Avoid Getting Closed By Your Web Host And Banned By Search Engines – When a site gets hacked, expect to go through a great deal of inconvenience and heartache. It can take days to uncover problems and sort through the issues these have caused. As a result, your, account could get closed by your host, or even deindexed by search engines. And if this isn’t enough to have to deal with, hackers can spam your contact list and steal your business details and financial information, you could end up being fined or even charged with fraud, and much more.
Plugin Features
Blog Defender was created to lock down your site and keep your business safe and secure 24/7.
Blog Defender provides fixes for the following areas:
- Hosting Security Advisory
- WP Plugin Security Audits
- WP 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
- Monitor Files
- Tracking Links
- Known Offender Blocking
- Automating WordPress Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighter Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender provides a logical sequence of steps to help secure your your WordPress installation, addressing potential hosting security issues, using scanning and detection tools to quickly identify risky WP themes and WP plugins, and then implementing website-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender WordPress security process. Screenshot source: BlogDefender.com)
Testimonials From Users
Here are a few of the testimonials and comments plugin customers have published about the Blog Defender plugin:
”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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”I sure wish I’d had this before I lost over a dozen blogs just recently. Okay, it was my fault for not securing things more, BUT… I didn’t have a handy, current reference like this to turn to for quick help either.;)” Kathe Lucas – www.wackycentral.com
Plugin Tips
According to the plugin’s site, no websites or blogs using Blog Defender were hacked since Blog Defender was first released.
Matt Garrett 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 knowledge and tools that developers can get their hands on. The latest release of Blog Defender provides users with an easier security solution that doesn’t require constant attention, doesn’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.
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 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.. Price = $47.00.
Note: Current pricing for the Blog Defender software can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Presently, the product is selling for the pricing shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the plugin 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 the current price:
Additional Plugin Info
For help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support 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 cannot ignore.
WordPress is a secure platform, but neglecting essential maintenance tasks like updating your WordPress software, plugins and themes, tightening file and data security and taking other necessary precautions can expose your site 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 hacked or compromised, what security features to look for in a webhost, and how to avoid all the major WordPress security holes without costly solutions.
For more details, visit the plugin website: Blog Defender Security Plugin For WordPress Sites
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