Web security is one of the buzz words these days and there are the rightful reasons behind that. Internet, while still an open ecosystem where anyone can enjoy a stay without harming anyone else, is becoming less and less secure with each passing day. If you happen to have a website, you should be aware of the threats web possess to your valuable information on the site. WordPress is a very popular content management system (CMS) which is used by millions of bloggers and webmasters alike throughout the world. WordPress is also used by Students to chronicle their career path.
As the open source nature of WordPress fosters creativity and makes the platform stronger, there are still a number of security threats out in the wild that can seriously compromise a WordPress based website. Fortunately, thanks to the fantastic plug-in support of WordPress, there is a number of security plug-ins that integrates well with WordPress and takes care of the necessary parts that may be vulnerable from an outside security attack. And WP-Security plug-in from WebsiteDefender is a popular solution that suggests corrective policies regarding passwords, file permissions, version hiding, SQL database security, WP Admin protection etc.
So far so good, a security plug-in seems perfectly feasible for the security and good care of your WordPress based blog or website, right? Unfortunately, that is not the end of story. Although WP-Security plug-in is a very famous one among serious WordPress users, having more than 840 thousands installations till date, it poses some serious problem with site functionalities. We will take a look at the deterrents that renders the plug-in problematic when used in conjunction with WordPress. Read on.
WordPress Security Plugin Description
Protected WordPress beefs up the protection of your WordPress set up by eliminating problem details on account websites, contributes catalog.html to tool internet directories, conceals the WordPress edition and much more.
1. Removes error-information or login-page
2. Adds catalog.php plugin-directory (virtual)
3. Removes the wp-version, except in admin-area
4. Removes Really Easy Discovery
5. Removes Windows Stay Writer
6. Removes primary upgrade details for non-admins
7. Removes plugin-update details for non-admins
8. Removes theme-update details for non-admins (only WP 2.8 and higher)
9. Hides wp-version in backend-dashboard for non-admins
10. Removes edition on URLs from programs and stylesheets only on frontend
11. Blocks any bad concerns that could be dangerous to your WordPress website
The Problem With WordPress Security Plugin
The primary problem with the plug-in is that is offers modifications to the SQL library on which WordPress relies and makes its queries. The modifications are offered for a good reason, so that intruders cannot perform a SQL injection attack to your SQL database. The plug-in can change the default “wp_*” naming used by default on WordPress databases to anything else confirmed by the user.
Unfortunately, WP-Security makes the changes by bringing whole website down as the changes made through plug-in are incomplete.
Solution
While we do not recommend you to stop using the security plugins for the betterment of your website’s secure status, we want to suggest that be very careful while making changes to the SQL database as the plug-in wants you to do so. At first, please make thorough backup of your SQL database through cpanel using a text file so that if anything goes wrong, you can easily put the backup on and everything will come back to like on that instant.
Next, you should also back up the contents of root directory of your WordPress installation. Thankfully, WordPress also offers an in built backup system that you can use to take back-up of your posts and comments in a regular interval. If you are really stuck after faulty changes made by a plug-in to your SQL database, you can easily remove the old database and plug-in your backup. If you do not have a backup in place, it will be really tiresome to edit the database and change each and every unaltered entry to make it work.
About the author: Alyssa Clarke is a writer who also happens to be a tech lover. She is always on a lookout for latest tech news that includes gizmos, gadgets, apps, updates on iPhone hacks and so on. She loves cars and dreams to own Ford nucleon, the concept car one day.
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