How can secure wordpress website from hackers?

To effectively secure your WordPress website from hackers, you need a multi-layered approach. Here’s a comprehensive guide incorporating best practices and tools:

1. Foundational Security Practices:

• Choose a Secure Hosting Provider: Opt for a reputable WordPress hosting provider known for its security measures, such as:
  • Regular backups
  • Free SSL certificates
  • 24/7 support  
  • Built-in firewalls
  • Malware scanning and removal  
  • Automatic WordPress updates  
  • Secure data storage and encryption  
• Keep Everything Updated: Regularly update your WordPress core, themes, and plugins. These updates often include crucial security patches that address known vulnerabilities. Enable automatic updates for plugins and themes where possible, but consider testing major WordPress core updates on a staging environment first.  
• Use Strong and Unique Passwords: Employ complex passwords with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using common words, personal information, or the default “admin” username. Consider using a password manager to generate and store strong passwords securely. For additional users, enforce strong password policies.  
• Change the Default “admin” Username: During WordPress installation, choose a username other than “admin”. If you already have an “admin” user, create a new administrator account with a unique username and delete the old one.  
• Limit Login Attempts: Implement measures to limit the number of failed login attempts. This helps prevent brute-force attacks. You can achieve this through security plugins or server-level configurations.  
• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide a second verification code (usually from a mobile app) in addition to their password when logging in. Many security plugins offer this feature.  
• Regularly Backup Your Website: Implement a reliable backup solution that automatically backs up your website files and database regularly (ideally daily or in real-time, especially for dynamic sites). Store backups off-site in a secure location. This allows you to restore your website quickly in case of a security breach or data loss.  
• Use Secure WordPress Themes: Choose themes from reputable sources that prioritize security and follow coding best practices. Check ratings, reviews, and update frequency before selecting a theme. Remove any unused themes.  
• Install an SSL Certificate (HTTPS): An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your website and your visitors’ browsers, protecting sensitive data. Most reputable hosting providers offer free SSL certificates. Ensure your website is configured to use HTTPS.  

2. Enhancing WordPress Security:

• Change the Default Login URL: Changing the default /wp-admin login URL can help obscure the entry point to your site from automated bots. Use a plugin to easily change this.  
• Disable File Editing in the WordPress Dashboard: Prevent administrators from directly editing theme and plugin files within the WordPress dashboard by adding the following line to your wp-config.php file: PHPdefine( 'DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true );
• Disable XML-RPC if Not Needed: XML-RPC can be a target for brute-force attacks. If you don’t use it for remote publishing or the WordPress mobile app, disable it. You can do this through a security plugin or by adding code to your .htaccess file.  
• Protect the wp-config.php File: Add the following code to your .htaccess file to prevent public access to this sensitive file: Apache<files wp-config.php> order allow,deny deny from all </files>
• Disable PHP Error Reporting: Prevent sensitive information from being exposed in error messages by disabling PHP error reporting on your live site. You can do this in your wp-config.php file.  
• Limit User Permissions: Assign the principle of least privilege to user roles. Grant users only the necessary permissions to perform their tasks. Avoid giving administrator access to everyone. Regularly review user accounts and remove inactive or unnecessary ones.  
• Monitor User Activity: Use an activity log plugin to track user actions on your website. This can help you identify suspicious behavior early.  
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF): A WAF acts as a shield between your website and incoming traffic, blocking malicious requests before they reach your server. This can be implemented through hosting providers or security plugins (often the paid versions). Cloudflare is a popular option for a DNS-level WAF and CDN.  
• Regular Security Scanning: Use security plugins to regularly scan your website for malware, vulnerabilities, and suspicious code.  
• Add CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA to Forms: Prevent bot submissions and brute-force attacks on login and registration forms by implementing CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA.
• Disable Directory Browsing: Prevent attackers from listing the files and directories on your website by adding the following line to your .htaccess file: ApacheOptions -Indexes
• Filter User Input: Sanitize and validate all user input to prevent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and SQL Injection attacks. While WordPress tries to handle this, using secure coding practices and security plugins can provide additional protection.  
• Consider Using a Content Delivery Network (CDN): While primarily for performance, a CDN can also offer some security benefits by acting as a proxy and mitigating some types of attacks, like DDoS.  

3. WordPress Security Plugins:

Many excellent WordPress security plugins can automate and simplify many of these security measures. Some of the top-rated security plugins of 2025 include:

• Wordfence Security: Offers a free version with a robust firewall, malware scanner, and login security features. The paid version provides real-time updates and advanced features.  
• Sucuri Security: Known for its website firewall (paid), malware scanning, and website hardening features. They also offer a free plugin for basic security hardening and scanning.  
• MalCare Security: Focuses on in-depth malware scanning and removal without impacting server performance. Offers a paid service with automatic cleanup.  
• All In One WP Security & Firewall: A free plugin that provides a comprehensive suite of security features, including firewall rules, login security, user account security, and database security.  
• Solid Security (formerly iThemes Security): Offers both free and paid versions with features like brute-force protection, file change detection, and user monitoring.  
• Jetpack: While a suite of tools, Jetpack’s security features include brute-force protection, downtime monitoring, and (in paid plans) malware scanning and automated fixes.  

Choosing the Right Approach:

The best way to secure your WordPress website is to implement a combination of these practices. Start with the foundational steps and then consider more advanced techniques and security plugins based on your website’s needs and your technical expertise. Regularly review your security measures and stay informed about the latest security threats and best practices.