WordPress Security Best Practices: 12 Essential Tips for 2025

WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet, making it a prime target for hackers. While WordPress core is secure, vulnerabilities often come from themes, plugins, and poor configuration. This guide covers the essential security practices every WordPress site owner needs to implement in 2025.

According to Sucuri's Website Threat Research, WordPress accounts for the majority of hacked CMS platforms—not because it's insecure, but because of its popularity and common misconfigurations. The good news? Most attacks are preventable with proper security measures.

1. Keep Everything Updated

Outdated software is the leading cause of WordPress hacks. Every WordPress core, theme, and plugin update includes security patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities.

According to Wordfence, 97% of WordPress vulnerabilities come from plugins, 3.9% from themes, and only 0.58% from WordPress core itself. This makes regular updates critical.

2. Strong Passwords & Two-Factor Authentication

Weak passwords remain one of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access. In 2024, brute force attacks accounted for over 30% of successful WordPress breaches.

Password requirements for 2025:

• Length: Minimum 16 characters (20+ recommended)
• Complexity: Mix uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols
• Uniqueness: Never reuse passwords across sites
• Management: Use a password manager like 1Password or Bitwarden

3. Only Use Trusted Themes & Plugins

Your theme and plugins have full access to your WordPress site. Installing code from untrusted sources is like handing over your keys to strangers.

As we discussed in our guide to choosing WordPress themes, selecting quality themes with active development and good security practices is crucial.

Security checklist when selecting themes and plugins:

• Source: Download only from WordPress.org, official websites, or reputable marketplaces
• Reviews: Check ratings, reviews, and active installations
• Updates: Verify the theme/plugin is actively maintained (updated within 6 months)
• Support: Active support indicates ongoing development
• Code Quality: Well-coded themes follow WordPress coding standards

4. Choose Security-Focused Hosting

Your hosting provider is your first line of defense. Quality hosts implement server-level security measures that protect all sites on their infrastructure.

What security-focused hosting provides:

Recommended security-focused hosts include WP Engine, Kinsta, Cloudways, and SiteGround. According to WP Engine's security documentation, managed WordPress hosting can block 99.9% of common attacks before they reach your site.

5. Implement SSL Certificates & Force HTTPS

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts data transmitted between your site and visitors. In 2025, HTTPS isn't optional—it's required for SEO, user trust, and security compliance.

Benefits beyond security:

• SEO Boost: Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal
• User Trust: Browsers mark HTTP sites as "Not Secure"
• Performance: HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 require HTTPS for faster loading
• PCI Compliance: Required if accepting credit card payments

After installing SSL, force all traffic to HTTPS by adding this to your .htaccess file:

# Force HTTPS
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

6. Implement Automated Backup Strategy

Backups won't prevent attacks, but they ensure you can recover quickly if something goes wrong. Without backups, a successful hack could mean permanent data loss.

The 3-2-1 backup rule for WordPress:

• 3 copies: Production site + 2 backups
• 2 different media: Server + cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, AWS S3)
• 1 off-site: At least one backup stored remotely

Backup frequency recommendations:

• High-traffic or eCommerce: Daily or real-time backups
• Blogs with frequent updates: Daily backups
• Static or rarely updated sites: Weekly backups

7. Install a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A Web Application Firewall filters malicious traffic before it reaches your WordPress site. Think of it as a security guard checking IDs at the door.

According to Cloudflare, WAFs can block SQL injection, XSS attacks, and brute force attempts—the most common WordPress attack vectors.

For most sites, Cloudflare's free tier combined with Wordfence provides excellent protection without cost.

8. Harden Your Login Security

The WordPress login page (wp-login.php) is the most attacked part of any WordPress site. Securing it should be a top priority.

Essential login security measures:

• Limit Login Attempts: Block IPs after failed login attempts (use Limit Login Attempts Reloaded)
• Change Login URL: Move wp-login.php to a custom URL (use WPS Hide Login)
• Disable XML-RPC: Unless needed, disable XML-RPC to prevent brute force attacks
• CAPTCHA: Add Google reCAPTCHA to login forms to block bots
• IP Whitelisting: For admin-only sites, restrict wp-admin access to specific IPs

9. Set Correct File Permissions

Incorrect file permissions can allow attackers to modify your WordPress files. Proper permissions ensure only authorized processes can read, write, or execute files.

Recommended WordPress file permissions:

• Directories: 755 or 750
• Files: 644 or 640
• wp-config.php: 440 or 400 (most restrictive)

Set permissions via SSH:

# Set directory permissions
find /path/to/wordpress/ -type d -exec chmod 755  \;

# Set file permissions
find /path/to/wordpress/ -type f -exec chmod 644  \;

# Secure wp-config.php
chmod 440 wp-config.php

10. Secure Your WordPress Database

Your database contains all your content, user data, and site settings. Securing it prevents SQL injection attacks and unauthorized access.

Database security best practices:

• Change Database Prefix: Change "wp_" to something unique during installation
• Use Strong DB Password: Generate a 20+ character random password
• Disable Remote Database Access: Unless needed, don't allow external connections
• Regular Optimization: Clean spam, revisions, and transients monthly

11. Enable Security Monitoring & Activity Logs

You can't fix what you don't know about. Security monitoring alerts you to suspicious activity before it becomes a serious problem.

What to monitor:

• Login Attempts: Track failed and successful logins
• File Changes: Alert when core, theme, or plugin files are modified
• User Activity: Monitor post changes, plugin installations, and settings updates
• 404 Errors: High 404 rates can indicate scanning attempts
• Uptime: Get alerts if your site goes down

12. Implement WordPress Hardening Techniques

WordPress "hardening" refers to additional security configurations that reduce attack surface. These are advanced techniques that provide extra protection layers.

Essential hardening steps:

define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);

Options -Indexes

<files wp-config.php>
order allow,deny
deny from all
</files>

Security Maintenance Checklist

Security isn't a one-time task—it requires ongoing maintenance. Use this checklist:

Key Takeaways

• Updates are critical — Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins current
• Strong authentication — Use complex passwords and enable 2FA
• Quality matters — Only use trusted themes and plugins from reputable sources
• Backups save sites — Implement automated 3-2-1 backup strategy
• Layers of protection — Combine hosting security, WAF, and monitoring
• Proactive monitoring — Detect and respond to threats early
• Regular maintenance — Security requires ongoing attention