Well, maybe you haven’t been hacked. But I was. Twice. And no, I didn’t pass out my password to anyone. To be honest, I thought I was pretty safe. I mean, who’d want to hack my website? You’d be surprised…
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For me, having my website sucked away from me meant my livelihood was sucked away as well!
I Thought I Was Safe
No, really! I thought I was safe!
I never told anyone my password. I used CRAZY passwords and non-related usernames. I kept up with the WordPress updates. My theme was free (granted, not as safe…), but it was an “official” WordPress theme and it was very well reviewed. And I chose my plug-ins wisely as well. Basically, I used what’s called “Common Sense” security. I honestly thought it would be enough. I mean… I love my website (and I hope you do too!), but who would want to hack it? I’m not exactly famous (yet!). Why me?
But, wouldn’t ya know it, I was hacked. Twice! The first time wasn’t so bad. The second time: Devastating. My entire site was gone! They’d broken into my theme and left me with nothing but a blank, white screen. And it was an update day!!
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After I regained control over my website, I had this version up temporarily while I worked things out… I was embarrassed by how unprofessional/terrible it looked. Image may be NSFW.
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This isn’t an unusual tale. It could happen to you too.
Don’t Take It Personally
Unfortunately, it’s pretty common for WordPress websites to get hacked. Don’t get me wrong: I love WordPress. It’s fun, easy to use, and has nearly endless possibilities! And it’s great for boosting the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your website. In fact, the better SEO you have, the more likely you’ll get hacked. Many modern “hackers” use bots to look for websites with fair to good SEO and launch their attack from there. So…take it as a compliment!
It’s not personal.
When I was getting hacked, I kept bemoaning “Why meeeeeee?!” I thought I’d done something to piss someone off. I kept wracking my brain trying to think what I could have done or said to make someone hate me. I was very confused. Thanks to my forum phobia, I don’t really speak out much online (except here, obviously). I knew that it was impossible for everyone to like me, but I didn’t think I’d done anything that would make someone hate me enough to want to ruin my life by taking away my livelihood! But it still hurt to think that there might be.
Knowing that it was a faceless robot attacking me rather than a “real” person was a bit comforting, but no less annoying. And no less detrimental to my business. I knew I had to take action!
Some Things That Can Help
- Don’t Panic! I know that’s going to be tough, especially if you depend on your website for money. But panicking will make things worse.
- Backup Your Files. Backup your files (everything on your website!) often. I was immensely grateful that I was so consistent about backing up my files when I’d lost everything. It allowed me to restore everything with relative ease. No starting from scratch for this gal!
- Get Yourself a Real Theme. Yeah, I like free stuff too, but, truth is, the free themes just aren’t as secure. I know, I know. It’s a bummer. But shelling out for a more secure framework and theme to go with it is well worth it. I recommend StudioPress.
- Keep Using Common Sense! Just because “common sense security” can’t protect you from every type of attack doesn’t mean you should stop using it! Keep your passwords to yourself, always.
- Get Yourself Some Security Plug-ins. Make sure you protect your website with trusted security plug-ins. Get a few of them. They each do different things, so having more than one will protect you from more than one angle. It’s like when you scan your computer for viruses, and then scan it again for malware.
- Get This Book:
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WP Pro Simple Security
I guess this step is optional, but, for me, this book saved my website! WP Pro Simple SecurityImage may be NSFW.
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My website still gets attacked from time to time. My plug-ins alert me when it happens. But, so far, I haven’t lost control. And, man, that feels good.
Protect yourself! You’ll be glad you did.
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