Written by: 
Rafal Kukla | Published on: 2 February 2020 | Edited on: 6 April 2023
It is thought that more than 70% of all Wordpress sites are vulnerable to attacks by hackers.
In this article, we are going to give you a breakdown of what hacking is, the different types of hackers that exist, why Wordpress sites are hacked so frequently and how to avoid having your Wordpress site hacked.
What is Hacking?
Hacking is the process of finding flaws in a system, exploiting them and bypassing normal security controls. Success gives hacker a possibility to not only harm the attacked site by for example taking it down, but also to upload different kinds of malware and spreading it across the internet.
The effects of getting a site hacked can often be devastating. Many of the biggest hacking attacks in the history ended up in stealing enormous amounts of money or data.
What Are The Different Types of Hackers?
There are different classifications for hackers based on their goals and objectives.
Ethical Hackers - Their objective is to find weaknesses in the security of a website by attacking it. When vulnerabilities become apparent, better cybersecurity can then be implemented to discourage and keep other hackers out in the future.
Black Hat Hackers - Often referred to as black hat for their disorderly approach to hacking; black hat hackers range from hackers who upload ransom malware to those who take complete sites offline using techniques such as DDoS-ing. The attacks can be carried out on a different scales, from attacking small sites all the way up to the biggest companies in the world. To give some examples: in April 2011 the PlayStation Network server was hacked, resulting in personal data of millions of user being stolen.
What Makes Wordpress Sites So Vulnerable To Attacks?
As with all websites, Wordpress sites are all hosted on web servers. Unfortunately, many Wordpress hosting companies and management providers do not have adequately secured hosting platforms; this means that all websites hosted on those inadequate hosting platforms are vulnerable to hacking attempts.
Another crucial mistake often made by Wordpress site owners resulting in increasing the risk of getting site hacked is lack of regular updates of plugins and the Wordpress itself
Easiest Ways To Get Your Wordpress Site Hacked
- Insecure web hosting
- Weak passwords
- Unprotected Access to WordPress Admin (wp-admin Directory)
- Incorrect File Permissions
- Not Updating WordPress and plugins
How To Prevent My Site From Getting Hacked?
- Ensure your password is secure
- Choose an obscure username
- Keep your plugins and themes up to date
- Align site users to the right roles
Secure Your Future By Securing Your Wordpress Site
All of those actions can be taken on your own. However, if you're not comfortable in managing your Wordpress site by yourself, choosing a Wordpress Management company may be worth considering. Here, in ForgetWP we will get your Wordpress site in the best shape it has ever been before. We will not only take care of managing your site properly, but also provide one of the very best hosting solutions - Google Cloud Platform - guaranteeing security, stability and performance.
Summary
If you are afraid of updating your Wordpress sites through fear of breaking your site, then letting professionals to take care of it may be a great idea. If you think the same way, you can start a live chat with our team at any moment. We will be glad to walk you through the details and help in making the decission.