The scale of attacks on websites and blogs worldwide is massive, and things are only going to get 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 sites had been hacked.
Thousands of websites are attacked every year! Could your website be next?
(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 well-known flaw to attack unsuspecting WP websites and direct a distributed-denial-of-service cyber attack (DDoS) towards another popular website.
Every web site with a security vulnerability provides some degree of opportunity to hackers. A compromised website not only presents hackers opportunities to improve their hacking skills and win “respect” from their peers, but it can also be a resource for distributed attacks, spreading malware and as a source for creating information theft.
If a hacker can discover a weakness in your security, your blog can then be used as a “bot” in a planned cyber-attack against other valued sites.
The harsh reality is that hackers are most likely trying to hack into your blog as you are reading this article right now. Whether they can hack in or not, depends on how difficult you will make it for them to keep persisting until they work out a way to get access, or 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 website through their WordPress security scan …
(Website Security Check Screenshot image: https://hackertarget.com/wordpress-security-scan)
You will see that the test will display various results and information about your site …
(Hackertarget – WordPress security scan results. Source: Hackertarget.com)
It should be obvious after using the above tool that if you are able to access all of this information, so can hackers.
(Screenshot: 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 in your site can all be potentially valuable information to hackers, as these can inform them about any potential holes or weaknesses, especially where site owners haven’t updated their files.
Fortunately, there is a way to stop broadcasting all of this information about your web site and make your site invisible to hackers and botnets.
Blog Defender Security Suite For WordPress Blogs
Product Description
The product is a suite of WordPress security video tutorials, plugins and tools, plus WordPress security documentation in PDF and DOC formats.
Matt Garrett, the creator of the BlogDefender security suit began developing BlogDefender after noticing that a WordPress-driven blog he set up for his mother got hacked into and suspended by the hosting company. This site was new and had practically nothing to offer, yet it still was hacked.
Matt only became aware of this after being suspended by his host and noticing that a significant amount of unusual activity had occurred inside his server, as well as the addition of several phishing files designed to lure unsuspecting victims to the site and hijack financial details.
(Product image source: BlogDefender website)
This simple example is evidence that all websites are valuable to hackers.
Blog Defender scans you website for security weaknesses …
And then shows you how to easily fix these …
Plugins
Blog Defender comes with three plugins for WordPress:
Plugin #1 in the Blog Defender suite helps you schedule automated backups …
(Screenshot source: Blog Defender)
Plugin #1 “Automated Backups” lets you do automated site and file backups to your server, external servers and popular cloud solutions using different 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), search and replace text strings in your database, perform auto database scans and repairs, and more.
Plugin #2 “WP Security” provides WordPress security …
(Image source: BlogDefender.com)
This plugin provides a range of essential website security functions (see “Product Features” section below).
The third plugin scans your plugins, WP themes and core files to see whether any of your files have been modified, and repair problems …
(Image source: BlogDefender.com)
Pro Plugin #3 “WP Scan & Repair” also scans content to see if any malicious content have been added to your site, bans bad bots, blocks brute force attacks and detects any content leeching (where people benefit from your work without reciprocating the favor).
Tutorials Videos
In addition to the plugins, Blog Defender also includes seven training modules in video format plus printable guides that will teach you exactly how to protect your website from hackers and bots …
(Image source: Blog Defender)
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Benefits Of Using Blog Defender
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 web site:
Fast And Simple To Install And Configure
The plugins included in the Blog Defender product suite are really easy to install. Just upload the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your administrator section and activate.
Very Simple And Easy To Follow Training
Blog Defender is an easy-to-follow do-it-yourself step-by-step training product that will walk you through the website security process and show you exactly what to do, including how to set things up, and even which free WordPress plugins to use to get things done inexpensively.
Some additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Protect your WordPress site 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.
- Protect Your Info Products From Being Stolen – If you’re a digital product author (e.g. downloadable e-books, video training, etc.), your work can be stolen and end up becoming freeware on free download sites.
- Avoid Getting Blacklisted By Search Engines – When a site is hacked, you can 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. Your, web presence can be closed by your host, or even blocked in search engines. And if that is not enough to have to deal with, hackers can spam your contact list and steal your personal details and financial information, you could end up being fined or even charged with fraud, and more.
Blog Defender Features
Blog Defender offers a number of features to WP users.
The product provides fixes for the following security areas and vulnerabilities:
- Host Security Advisory
- WordPress Plugin Security Audits
- Theme Security Audits
- Anti Brute Force Security
- Anti Cross-Site Scripting
- MySQL Database Security
- Nefarious Traffic Blocking
- Hiding WordPress ‘Tell Tale’ Signs
- Anti-Comment Spam
- Monitoring Files
- Monitor Links
- Known Offender Blocking
- Automating Core WP Updates
- WordPress Security Audit
- Tightening Server Security
- Kick Out Policy
- Online 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 WP themes and WordPress plugins, and then implementing site-wide security using the tools and plugins provided.
(Blog Defender WordPress security process. Source: BlogDefender.com)
Testimonials
Here are a couple of the testimonials and comments users have written about the Blog Defender product suite:
”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 the plugin developer, Matt Garrett, since Blog Defender’s first release, no websites or blogs using Blog Defender have been hacked.
Matt Garrett, the product developer 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 constant game of cat and mouse and all security solutions are only as good as the information and tools that developers can currently harness. 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 most 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 risk-free, 30 day, 100% refund guarantee.
Product Licensing 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: Pricing for the Blog Defender product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. When we last checked, the plugin is selling for the pricing shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the plugin developer when you visit the product website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Information
For installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Blog Defender website.
In Conclusion
Regardless of the type of business you run or plan to run online and how small you think your web presence is, you cannot afford to ignore the importance of web security.
WordPress is a very secure web platform, but neglecting simple maintenance tasks like making sure that your WordPress software, WordPress plugins and themes are kept up-to-date, tightening file and data protection and taking other necessary precautions can have disastrous consequences.
Blog Defender helps you learn what your responsibilities as a website owner 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 WordPress security holes without costly solutions.
For more information, visit the plugin website here: Blog Defender
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