How Do I Protect My WordPress Database?
WordPress is an awesome open source website development platform. It uses the PHP coding language to access content in a database to display on the website. It also uses a database management system known as MySQL in order to organize the content and settings for the WordPress site. For sites with important content, a WordPress Database Protection plan helps add a layer of security to your online business.
As a site owner you don’t have to know the PHP coding language or MySQL. However, knowing them is a plus as it will give you a better understanding for how WordPress works and how the software delivers content.
What Is A WordPress Database?
When you first install WordPress, you give the database a name and a password. This information is stored in the WordPress config file, also labelled as “wp-config.php”. The installation creates 11 database files whereby specific content is stored within them in order to make your website function.
The different databases are created for posts, pages, comments, theme settings, tags, etc. So, whenever you create a new page, for example, the software allocates the content for that page with its respective database.
Why Is A WordPress Database Important?
When you write content to your website; create pages and posts, this content gets stored in the WordPress database along with comments, images and plugin data. Every change or addition you make on your WordPress site gets stored in the site’s database.
So, if your site is lacking any kind of WordPress database protection, you are putting the entire backbone of your website at risk.
Your database contains over 90% of your website’s content and information. If you want to avoid having your site’s content stolen, deleted or infected with malware, having a plan for your WordPress database protection is a must for the security of your website.
How Do I Protect My WordPress Database?
Because of its popularity, WordPress websites are targeted by hackers nonstop. Even if you don’t think you have a website worth hacking, it still needs to have website security protection in place. There are many ways to set up WordPress database protection. Changing your database name and using a strong password are two methods used towards tightening security on your site.
Change The Database Name
Because WordPress is an open source software platform, the names of respective databases is known to everyone. When WordPress is installed the prefix “wp_” is added to all database tables. For example, “wp_comments”, “wp_posts”, etc.
Most users don’t change this and keep the default prefixes in place. Since hackers know this, they coordinate their attacks accordingly against common database names. However, changing the database prefix to something random and unpredictable helps to add a stronger layer of security to your website.
If you would like to find out more about changing your database name, please call our office at (727) 642-5587 to set up a free consultation about your WordPress website.
Backup Your Database
Perhaps one of the easiest and smartest things you can do to add a layer of WordPress Database Protection to your site is back up your database on a regular basis, especially if you make frequent changes to your website. This way, if anything goes wrong, you can simply turn on another server and load the database into a new website.
A backup plan is part of a well-rounded website security program. A simple security maintenance plan that includes backups starts at only $19 per month. Call Cosmic Digital Design at (727) 642-5587 today for details.
Use A Strong Password
Using weak passwords is the easiest way for a hacker to break through your WordPress database protection strategy. How would you rate your password’s strength on a scale of 1 to 10? Passwords such as “Password123” are almost guaranteed to get your website compromised.
It is critical that your database remains safe. Your database password should be more than eight characters, it should contain both letters and numbers and include special characters ($#&*<, etc). Your password should be random and meaningless and must not be guessable.
If you need help creating strong passwords, try using Dashlane’s Password Generator.
Can Cosmic Digital Design Secure My Database?
Cosmic Digital Design prides itself on our ability to protect your website. When we design a website for your company, our primary goal is making sure your data is safe. Our software is specially designed to prevent brute force attacks against your website and our hosting platform is a very secure environment that adds extra security to your online business.
Depending on the level of protection needed, securing your database protection can get more intricate than this including drilling down on user permissions and more. If you have a website that has been hacked and need hacker repair or want more information on securing your website, call Cosmic Digital Design today at (727) 642-5587 or use the contact form below to schedule a consultation about your business.
