And the role your hosting provider plays in the security of your WordPress website.
First, if you’re thinking, “Please remind me about website hosting and why I need to be concerned about this.” Just like renting a space for your office or shop in the physical world, you must rent space online for your website. And, like the management of a brick-and-mortar building has different levels of quality and service, so do hosting providers.
Keeping your WordPress website updated and secure is vital – see more about why in Keeping Your WordPress Website Protected. It’s also essential that your website hosting is kept updated and secure.
Security for WordPress Hosting
You want to ensure that your hosting provider for your WordPress website uses up-to-date, supported versions of PHP (the coding language that WordPress uses).
Image by J Garget from Pixabay
Because old versions of PHP are no longer receiving updates, there will be security vulnerabilities. Hackers can and do exploit these vulnerabilities. Like a daisy finding a way to grow through a crack in a sidewalk, nefarious people exploit security gaps in old versions of PHP to gain unauthorized access, steal sensitive information, inject malicious code, or disrupt your website’s functionality.
With the mention of hackers, most people think of data breaches they’ve heard about in the news. Yet it’s not just big company websites that are vulnerable. Businesses of any size are vulnerable, and WordPress is used for more than 25% of all websites. This means that no matter the size of your business, you want to do all you can to keep your WordPress website secure.
There are several ways that viruses and malware can impact visitors to your website. A virus can automatically download to people’s computers when they visit the site. There’s an even more significant risk if people purchase on your website; their credit card information can be stolen. And if people log into your website for a course or membership, they are exposed to risks each time.
Check the version of PHP your hosting provider is using. If it’s not up-to-date, ask that they update it.
Learn more about Webb Weavers Consulting’s WordPress Website Hosting and get in touch if you’re not thrilled with your current provider.