Hackers know that many websites are not secure and are easy targets. In 2019 the number of hacked websites rose by 32 percent. This is alarming and shows how risky websites can be. Google believes that this number will continue to grow.
There are many different ways in which hackers can get into your website.
Uninstalled Security updates
The lack of essential updates to your website may put your site at risk. Always be on the safe side by making sure that you have updated your web server software, CMS, plugins, and all the software that is being used by your website.
Vulnerable themes and plugins
Some developers do not continue to maintain plugins and themes. These themes and plugins become obsolete when they are not updated regularly.
This is very dangerous and will likely lead to a website compromise. Be sure that all of your website components are actively being updated. If you see a theme or plugin that has not been updated for months, then you can assume that the developer is no longer supporting it. Be sure to remove it from your site!
Some free plugins are created by hackers who want you to install them on your website. The hackers use those installed plugins as an access point to your site. So be careful what you use on your website.
Shared hosting
Your site could be vulnerable when it is being hosted on shared hosting. Other websites that are hosted on the same server may not be patched and may be vulnerable to hackers. Hackers could use one of the vulnerable website to get into the server that is hosting your website. This risk can be mitigated by hosting providers through the isolation of resources within the server.
Passwords
Make sure that you change the default usernames and passwords in your site or your server. Some people forget to change the password and continue to use the default password. You need to create a strong password that is not easy to guess and is not predictable. Adding two-factor authentication is recommended.
