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 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 sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites are attacked every year! Will yours be one of them?
(Image: Blog Defender)
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 WP websites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service cyberattack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every website or blog with a security vulnerability offers some value to hackers. All websites have value to hackers. Large, medium and small websites, personal blogs, government sites … even websites owned by online security and anti-hacking experts can and have been targeted.
If a malicious user can exploit a web security flaw, your web site can then be used as a “bot” in a planned cyber-attack against other valuable sites.
The reality is that malicious bots are trying to break into your blog as you are reading this. Whether they can do this successfully or not, will depend on how challenging you will make it for them to continue trying until they discover a way to break in, or give up and decide to look for a less secure target.
How Much Information About Your Site Are You Broadcasting To Hackers?
Do you own a WordPress site? If so, visit Hackertarget.com and run your site through their WordPress security scan …
(Hackertarget – WP Security Scan Product image: Hackertarget.com)
You will see that the test returns a number of results and information about your website …
(Hackertarget – WordPress security scan results. Product image source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the above tool that if you can freely access all of this information, then so can hackers.
(Image source: Blog Defender)
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 can be potentially valuable information to hackers, as this informs them about any 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 make your site invisible to hackers and botnets.
Blog Defender Security Solution
Product Description
Blog Defender is a package of WordPress security video tutorials, WordPress plugins and tools, plus WordPress security documentation in PDF and DOC formats.
Matt Garrett, the developer of BlogDefender developed BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress-driven site he set up for his mother got hacked into and suspended by the webhost. This blog was quite new and so had practically no value to offer, yet it still was attacked.
Matt only became aware of this after being informed by his host and noticing that a significant amount of unusual activity had taken place within his site, as well as the addition of a number of phishing files by whoever had broken into the site.
(Screenshot: BlogDefender website)
Matt’s experience is evidence that all websites have some value to hackers.
Blog Defender scans you website for security weaknesses …
And then shows you how to fix these quickly and easily …
WordPress Plugins
The product suite comes with 3 WordPress plugins:
Pro Plugin # 1 in the Blog Defender suite provides automated backups …
(Product image: BlogDefender website)
The “Automated Backups” plugin lets you do automated site, file and data backups to your server, external servers and cloud backup solutions using a number of backup methods, schedule complete or partial backups, exclude files or tables from backups, restore backups, replace URLs (useful when migrating websites to different domains or server locations), do bulk text replacements in your WordPress database, perform malware scans and blacklist checks automatically, and more.
Pro Plugin # 2 provides your website with security …
(Image source: BlogDefender.com)
Pro Plugin #2 “WP Security” performs a range of vital site and file protection functions (see “Features” section below).
Plugin #3 allows you to scan your content and files to detect whether anything has been changed, and fix any problems it detects …
(Image source: BlogDefender website)
Pro Plugin #3 “WordPress 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 others benefit from your content without reciprocating the favor).
Blog Defender – Videos
In addition to plugins, Blog Defender also includes seven step-by-step video tutorial modules plus written guides that will teach you exactly what you need to do to protect your website from malicious attacks …
(Screenshot source: BlogDefender website)
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 site:
Installation Is Easy
The plugins included with Blog Defender install just like every other WP plugin. Simply upload a zip file containing the plugins to your Plugin folder via your admin area and activate.
Simple And Easy To Follow
Blog Defender is an easy-to-follow step-by-step training product that will walk you through the website security process and show you what to do, including how to set everything up, and even which free WordPress plugins you should use to get things done without paying extra costs.
Additional benefits of using the plugin include:
- Protect your WordPress site from hackers, spammers, botnets, data mining tools and malicious users whose aims is to exploit your site for personal and financial gain at your expense.
- Secure Your Info Products – If you sell a digital product (e.g. downloadable e-books, video training, etc.), your work can be stolen and end up as freeware on free sharing sites.
- Avoid Getting Blacklisted By Your Host – When a site gets hacked, expect to go through a serious amount of inconvenience and heartache. It can take days to uncover problems and sort through the issues these have caused. During this time, your, website can get closed by your host, or even blacklisted in search engines. In addition, hackers can spam your contact list and steal your business details or financial information, you could end up being fined or even charged with fraud, and much more.
Features
Blog Defender offers many great features to website owners.
Blog Defender helps you fix all of the following security areas and vulnerabilities:
- Webhost Security Advisory
- Plugin Security Audits
- 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
- File Monitoring
- Monitoring Links
- Known Offender Blocking
- Automating Core WP 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 website, addressing hosting security, using tools to quickly identify risky themes and WordPress plugins, and then implementing site-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender website security process. Screenshot source: BlogDefender.com)
Testimonials From Customers
Below are a few of the testimonials users have provided for 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
Useful Tips
According to Matt Garrett, the plugin developer, no websites using Blog Defender were hacked since Blog Defender’s release in 2012.
Matt Garrett, the product developer 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 ever-escalating arms race and all security solutions are only as good as the information and technologies that developers presently can access. The latest release of Blog Defender creates an easier security solution that doesn’t require constant attention, is quite inexpensive and it’s as good if not better than most web security products or services currently being offered at a higher price.
Blog Defender Plugin 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, thirty day, 100% 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.. Cost = $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. The above reflects the current price when this article was published. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the software seller when you visit the website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest price here:
Additional Information
For help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
What We Recommend
No matter what kind of business you run or plan to run online and how small you think your web presence is, website security is something you simply cannot ignore.
WordPress is a secure web platform, but neglecting essential maintenance tasks like making sure that your WP software, WP plugins and themes are kept up-to-date, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can expose your website to attacks 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 to help prevent your sites being attacked, what security features to look for in a webhost, and how to avoid major security risks without costly solutions.
For more information, visit the plugin website here: Blog Defender
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