The sheer number of attacks on websites and blogs around the world is rising, and things are getting worse.
You can safely assume that if you haven’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 162,000 legitimate WordPress websites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites are hacked every year! Will yours be one of them?
(Image 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)
As reported by security firm Sucuri, hackers had leveraged a well-known flaw to attack unsuspecting WP websites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service cyber-attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
You may think that your website provides little to no value to hackers, but the reality is that all websites are valuable to a malicious user.
If someone can hack into and compromise the control of your blog, that site can then be used to target other valued websites.
The harsh reality is that hackers are probably scouring for vulnerabilities and trying to break into your blog right now. Whether they can hack in successfully will depend on how hard or easy you will make things for hackers and bots to continue trying until they discover a way to get access, or are forced to give up and go look for an easier target.
How Much Information Are You Broadcasting To Hackers About Your WordPress Site?
Do you own a WordPress site? If so, visit a site like Hackertarget.com and run your site through their WordPress security check …
(Hackertarget – Website Security Scan Image source: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the test will display various results and details about your website setup …
(Hackertarget – WP security scan results. Source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the tool shown above that if you can freely access all of this information about your blog, hackers can too.
(Screenshot image: BlogDefender.com)
Being able to see what version of WordPress you are using, which plugins and themes you have installed, and which files have been uploaded to certain directories are all potentially useful information to hackers, as this informs them about any exploitable security weaknesses, especially where site owners haven’t updated their sites.
Fortunately, there is a simple and inexpensive solution to stop broadcasting all of this information about your website and make your site invisible to hackers and botnets.
Blog Defender
Product Description
Blog Defender is a package of WordPress security video tutorials, plugins and tools, plus a WordPress security PDF/DOC file.
Matt Garrett, the developer of BlogDefender began to develop BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress site he set up for his mother got hacked into and suspended by the hosting company. This blog had practically nothing to offer, yet it was still targeted by hackers.
Matt only became aware of the event after being contacted by his host and observing that a significant amount of suspicious activity had taken place within his site, as well as the addition of a number of malicious files designed to lure visitors to the site and steal financial information.
(Screenshot: BlogDefender.com)
Matt’s experience should be enough to convince you that every website is valuable to hackers.
Blog Defender scans you website for security holes …
And then shows you how to easily fix these …
Blog Defender – WP Plugins
Blog Defender comes with three plugins for WordPress:
Plugin #1 in the Blog Defender suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Image source: BlogDefender.com)
The plugin lets you do automated site and file backups to your server, external servers and leading cloud-based backup solutions using different backup methods (e.g. FTP), schedule full or partial backups, exclude files or tables from your backups, restore backups, replace URLs (useful when migrating websites 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 WordPress security …
(Screenshot image: BlogDefender website)
Plugin #2 performs a range of vital file and site protection functions (see “Features” section below).
The third plugin allows you to scan your WP plugins, themes and core files to detect whether code in your files has been altered, and fix problems …
(Source: Blog Defender)
Plugin #3 “WP Scan & Repair” also scans content to see if any malicious URLs have been inserted into your site, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where people benefit from your content without offering anything in return).
Blog Defender – Videos
In addition to plugins, Blog Defender also includes videos and downloadable documentation that teach you exactly what to do to protect your website from hackers …
(Screenshot source: Blog Defender)
To learn more about the plugin go here:
Benefits
Here are just some of the benefits and advantages of using Blog Defender to make your WordPress site invisible to hackers and botnets on your site:
Easy, Quick & Simple To Install
The plugins are very easy to install. Simply upload them to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Very Simple And Easy To Follow
Blog Defender is a do-it-yourself step-by-step training product that takes 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 install for free to get things done.
Some additional benefits of the plugin include the following:
- Protect your site from hackers, spammers, bad bots, data miners and malicious users attempting to exploit your site for personal and financial gain at your expense.
- Protect Your Info Products – If you sell info products (e.g. downloadable ebooks, videos, etc.), your product can end up as freeware on download sharing sites.
- Avoid Getting Closed By Your Web Host And Delisted By Search Engines – When a site is hacked, expect to go through a serious amount of frustration and aggravation. It can take days to uncover the problem and sort through any issues these have caused. Your, websites can get suspended by your webhost, or even deindexed in search engines. In addition, hackers can spam your contact list and steal your personal details and financial information, you could be fined or even charged with fraud, and more.
Plugin Features
Blog Defender provides many great features to WP users.
Blog Defender helps you fix all of the following areas:
- Webhost 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
- Monitoring Files
- Link Monitoring
- Blocking Known Offenders
- Automating Core WP Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tighten Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Reputation Checking
- And More …
Blog Defender provides a logical sequence of steps to help protect your website, addressing potential hosting security issues, using tools to quickly identify risky themes and WordPress plugins, and then helping you implement website-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender website security process. Screenshot: Blog Defender)
Feedback From Users
Here are a few of the testimonials and comments that customers have submitted for 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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“Sure wish I’d had this before I lost over a dozen blogs just recently!” Kathe Lucas – www.wackycentral.com
Useful Tips
According to Matt Garrett, the plugin developer, since Blog Defender’s first release in 2012, no Blog Defender-protected websites or blogs have been hacked.
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 an ever-escalating arms race and all security solutions are only as good as the knowledge and tools developers presently can harness. The latest release of Blog Defender creates an easier WordPress security solution that doesn’t require constant attention, won’t cost a fortune and it’s as good if not better than most web 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 risk-free, 30 day, complete refund guarantee.
Product Pricing
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.
Note: Current pricing for this product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Currently, the product sells for the pricing shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the software developer when you visit the website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing information:
Additional Information
For installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
Use These Plugins
Regardless of the 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 securing your website or blog.
WordPress is a secure web platform, but neglecting basic maintenance tasks like keeping your WP software, plugins and WP themes updated to their latest versions, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can expose your website 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 websites are attacked, what security features to look for in a webhost, and which tools can make the process of securing your WordPress installation easier.
For more details, check out the plugin here: Blog Defender Security Suite
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