CMS

Steps needed to Secure WordPress Website From SQL Injection

In this article, we will see 7 ways to secure WordPress website from SQL Injection.

SQL injection attacks allow attackers to spoof identity, tamper with existing data, cause repudiation issues such as voiding transactions or changing balances, allow the complete disclosure of all data on the system, destroy the data or make it otherwise unavailable, and become administrators of the database server. SQL injection (SQLI) was considered one of the top 10 web application vulnerabilities of 2007 and 2010 by the Open Web Application Security Project. In 2013, SQLI was rated the number one attack on the OWASP top ten.

WordPress websites need to be protected against SQL injection threats. SQL (Structured Query Language) is a widely used database language, a domain specific language that’s designed for managing data in a relational database management system (RDBMS).

As for WordPress websites, SQL injections are easily executed in direct ways and using various entry points, like Signup forms, Contact forms, Search fields within the site, Login forms, Feedback fields and Shopping carts. When WordPress website owners put different criteria for website visitors to fill empty fields in forms, especially when the developers, being unaware of input validations, set the fields as plain text, hackers inject SQL statements and can request for login credentials and other data.

Here are the 7 ways to secure WordPress website from SQL Injection:

1. Use SQL injection vulnerability testing tool to scan the WordPress website

There are different tool and plugins available to scan the SQL injection vulnerabilities. You can use those tools to scan and detect malware and vulnerabilities. All you need to do is download any of these and do the scan.

2. Always follow security procedures and update website

It’s very normal for some WordPress sites to ignore security techniques as well as ignore to update websites with new security updates. This is because there are many non-professionals, especially in the case of websites belonging to small businesses or individual users, who don’t know such things and end up being easy targets for hackers. SQL injection attacks are the commonest of such attacks that affect such websites. So, it’s always best to keep your website up-to-date and follow all security procedures.

3. Be careful while installing plugins

Mostly plugins are seen vulnerable in WordPress and also reason to get hack. Use minimum plugins and uninstall unused and unnecessary plugins.   It’s always best to avoid plugins and themes that go on with the same version for a long period; it’s better to move on to a more active and trusted plugin or theme.

4. Hide your WordPress version

It’s in every case best to keep your WordPress version hidden. If not, it would be simple for hackers to identify the vulnerabilities and exploit it. So, it’s recommended to keep the version hidden.

5. Monitoring SQL server

Keep the SQL server under monitoring and check if something unusual activities are going on because if any programming error that you might miss detecting, it could give chance to hackers to exploit the website. Hence, keep monitoring your SQL server closely, detect errors as they happen and repair them immediately.

6. Disable unnecessary functionalities and also change default change database prefix

While installing the WordPress, always change database prefix ‘wp’, it will prevent injecting SQL malware. If there is any unnecessary functionalities, it is recommended to disable it. Such unnecessary, irrelevant and unused functionalities could pave the way for SQL injection attacks.

7. If possible, store website database separately

This tip is not for preventing SQL injection attacks, but for bouncing back into action at the earliest after an attack if at all it happens. Use third-party tools and plugins and store the database of your website separately. This would serve as an easy backup. It’s advisable not to rely on the hosting company alone for website backup; some of them may not provide effective backup service.

WordPress is a common CMS to target for injecting the malware. So, always follow security procedures and host your website on verified and secure hosting provider.

 

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