Tips for Increasing the Security of Any Blog

By Sally Smith

No tickle your fancy writing today, here are tips for increasing the security of your blog,
guest post by Sally Smith

Blogs are popular and accessible. They are used for everything today from personal expression to e-commerce. Unfortunately, blogs do present some security risks. Determined hackers could vandalize the site, steal information or even attempt identity theft. Several tips will help to increase the security of any blog online.

Install Updates Immediately

One of the single most effective ways to protect a blog is to install updates immediately as they become available. Updates are released because security gaps or technical problems were detected. The update will protect the blog from known types of attacks. Skipping software updates or ignoring them completely will leave the blog increasingly vulnerable as time goes on.

Go Through All Platform Settings

Blogging platforms sometimes have a very large number of settings dealing with development, appearance and end-users. Some of these features can compromise data security if they are activated. It is important to go through all platform settings to make sure the blog is secure. There are remote editing options that can give hackers access to the site. It is also a good idea to reduce the number of failed logins that are allowed so brute-force tactics to find a password will not work.

Be Careful When Choosing Themes

Themes are available for most blogging platforms today. Although themes are convenient, they can also create a major security hole in the website. A hacker could release a free theme that contains exploitable code. Bloggers need to closely examine themes before installation. It is usually best to stick with themes that have been officially released or approved by the developer.

Archive Sensitive Documents and Information

Sensitive documents and information on the network with the blog must be protected. Traditional platforms will give a hacker access to all files just by breaching the security of the larger network or account. An electronic archival and retrieval system protects individual documents. These systems increase data security by making it difficult or impossible to access protected documents even if a hacker penetrates the network.

Hide or Obfuscate Usernames If Possible

Defeating the security of a blog is much easier if a hacker knows the main login or account username. Bloggers should try to hide this name if possible. The name chosen should not be easy to guess. It should not be left as a default name like admin. Any automatically generated author information should be changed or removed so that hackers cannot easily find usernames. These actions will strength blog security.

Protect Blog Content

An electronic archival and retrieval system will protect documents and files on the network. Another part of data security that must be addressed is content theft. Bloggers must take the time to add copyright information and disclaimers to every page prohibiting visitors from stealing written content. There are even plugins available that will disable the copy and paste functionality on the website.

Perform Daily or Weekly Backups

Part of security involves planning for the worst. Bloggers should backup everything on a regular basis. Backups are useful if a malicious hacker gets into the site and then destroys or vandalizes the content. Backups make it possible to restore the blog quickly. It helps to choose a hosting provider that performs daily or weekly backups automatically.