Are You Vulnerable to the Recent WordPress Attack?

If you operate a blog, chances are that it's run on the WordPress platform. WordPress has become one of the leading blog platforms on today's social media scene. Unfortunately, the popularity of the site has drawn some unwanted attention from hackers. It seems that WordPress has become the target of a botnet attack, putting sites at risk of takeover. If your site is running on the WordPress platform, you need to make sure you're protected from the attack. Here are some steps you need to take to ensure the security and uptime of your site.

Upgrade to the Latest Version of WordPress

According to ZDNet, of all of the sites running on WordPress, only 30.5 percent are running the current version 3.5. That means that 69.5 percent of the sites using WordPress are using a version that is open to security vulnerabilities. If you're using WordPress for your site, make sure you are using the latest version. Implementing the latest version will reduce your risk of falling victim to the recent botnet attack.

Implement Security Plug-Ins

The current botnet attacks are brute force attacks. They simply go after the log-in page of the site over and over again, trying to hack the password. You can eliminate the risk of the botnet attack being successful by implementing a simple plug-in that limits the number of log-in attempts on your site. If you reduce the number of times a person, or bot, can try to log into the site, you can successfully thwart the efforts of a brute force attack such as this one.

Make Sure You Back-Up Your Data

WordPress offers tools that allow users to export their data and files. However, the information isn't backed up automatically and many users forget to take the time to manually perform a backup. You may want to consider an automated backup application, such the BackUpWordPress plug-in, to automatically backup your WordPress data. This way, if by some chance an attack against your site is successful, you'll have the data and files that you need to restore your site. If you don't have a backup of your files, your site may be gone for good.

Even the Best Tools Can be Vulnerable

The recent attack on WordPress has proven that even the best tools and solutions are vulnerable to attack. In fact, it is the very popularity of these services that can draw unwanted attention from hackers. You may believe that a service such as WordPress would have sufficient security measures in place to protect your site from unwanted attacks. The truth is that while there may be security measures in place, you need to do your part too. That means implementing the proper updates and plug-ins to secure your site and its contents.