Strengthen WordPress Security

rifathasan · Post by **rifathasan** » Sun Jan 05, 2025 10:23 am

WordPress hardening is an umbrella term for steps you can take to improve the security of your WordPress. Strictly speaking, setting strong passwords and using two-factor authentication are also technically WordPress hardening, but they have a huge impact on security while these are mandatory.

There are several ways to implement the following measures on your site. If you are comfortable working with code, you can do them manually. We have provided links to articles that skype database describe the exact steps to take. Alternatively, you can use MalCare, which will apply these measures for you or protect your WordPress site from exploitation.

Blocking PHP execution in the /wp-uploads folder : A hacker can upload a PHP file to your site, execute it, and take control of your site. This type of hack is known as a remote code execution attack . The /wp-uploads folder should not contain executable code, so blocking PHP execution completely prevents this type of attack.
Limit login attempts: Hackers use bots to perform brute force attacks on the login page by trying many different passwords. You can limit the number of incorrect attempts a user can make by temporarily blocking them or by entering a captcha. This reduces the overall number of times a bot tries to guess the correct password and protects the site from being brute-forced.
Disable XML-RPC: The XML-RPC feature is an old feature used by WordPress to communicate with other systems. In recent years, it has been largely replaced by the REST API , but it is still included in later versions for backward compatibility. However, it can be used to log into the site, which is why it is considered a vulnerability.
There are many articles about hardening WordPress to protect against hackers. Some of these measures work well; others have a minimal impact on security but will reduce the usability of your site. Usually, this trade-off is not worth it. We will look at some of the measures that fall into this category in the next section.