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How to Secure WordPress 2025: 9 Anti‑Hack Steps

In this guide on how to secure WordPress 2025, we’ll break down nine no‑nonsense measures to lock down your site. Relying on WordPress’s defaults in 2025 is about as smart as leaving your front door wide open with a neon sign that reads “Valuables Inside.” If you’re wondering how to secure WordPress 2025 and not end up on some hacker’s trophy wall, buckle up—this isn’t your grandma’s “just install a plugin and you’re done” spiel.

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1. Keep Core, Themes & Plugins Updated

One of the pillars of how to secure WordPress 2025 is ensuring your WordPress core, themes, and plugins are always at the latest version. Each update patches known security holes—think of them as tiny guard dogs you don’t want to ignore.

“Running outdated software is the #1 invitation for attackers.”
— WordPress.org Hardening Guide ↗

• Key benefit: Fixes vulnerabilities before they’re public knowledge.
• Pro tip: Enable automatic minor updates for core; manually vet major releases.

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2. Enforce Strong Passwords & Two‑Factor Authentication

A crucial tactic in how to secure WordPress 2025 is ditching “password123” forever. Require all users—and especially admins—to use passphrases of at least 16 characters, mixing upper‑case, lower‑case, numbers, and symbols. Don’t trust your memory? Grab a password manager like Bitwarden.

• Must‑have: Two‑factor authentication (2FA) via Google Authenticator or Authy.
• fun fact: Accounts with 2FA enabled are 99.9% less likely to be hijacked.

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3. Deploy SSL/TLS (HTTPS) Site‑Wide

Implementing HTTPS is another key element in how to secure WordPress 2025, as it encrypts traffic between visitors and your server. Google gives ranking boosts to HTTPS sites, so it’s security + SEO in one.

• Free option: Obtain a Let’s Encrypt certificate in minutes¹.
• Host tip: Many hosts offer one-click HTTPS installation.

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4. Obscure Your Login URL

Still using /wp-admin or /wp-login.php? That’s like announcing “this way in” to burglar Joe Hacker. Change your login slug to something custom—/access-portal-2025, for example—using a plugin such as WPS Hide Login. Small effort, big annoyance for bots.

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5. Limit Login Attempts & Block Bad Actors

By default, WordPress allows infinite login tries. Don’t give attackers all day to brute‑force your credentials. Install Limit Login Attempts Reloaded or similar, configure lockouts after 3–5 failed attempts, and block repeat offenders permanently or for longer periods.

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6. Automate Off‑Site Backups

Imagine your site getting wiped by ransomware and realizing too late you have no backups. Schedule daily or weekly backups to remote storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3) with UpdraftPlus or BlogVault. Test restores quarterly—because a backup that doesn’t restore isn’t a backup.

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7. Harden wp‑config.php & .htaccess

The wp-config.php file holds your database credentials and secret keys. Move it one directory level above public_html, or at minimum lock it down via .htaccess:

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

Similarly, restrict directory browsing and protect .htaccess itself. A little Apache magic goes a long way.

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8. Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A WAF filters out malicious traffic before it hits your server—think of it as a bouncer screening IDs. Services like Sucuri and Cloudflare offer free and paid plans that block SQL injection, XSS, DDoS, and more.

• Internal resource: For more on performance and security, see our Resource Center.

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9. Verify File & Folder Permissions

Incorrect permissions can turn your files into open invitations. Standard practice:

• Folders: 755
• Files: 644
• wp-config.php: consider 600 if your server supports it

Use SSH or FTP to audit permissions—don’t rely on GUI defaults.

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Summary Table

Step	Description	Tool / Resource
1	Update core, themes, plugins	WordPress Auto‑Updates
2	Enforce strong passwords + 2FA	Bitwarden / Google Authenticator
3	Enable HTTPS	Let’s Encrypt
4	Hide login URL	WPS Hide Login
5	Limit login attempts	Limit Login Attempts Reloaded
6	Off‑site automated backups	UpdraftPlus
7	Protect wp-config.php & .htaccess	.htaccess rules
8	Deploy a WAF	Sucuri / Cloudflare
9	Correct file & folder permissions	SSH / FTP

Summarizing these 9 steps of how to secure WordPress 2025 gives you a military‑grade plan to keep intruders at bay.

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At this point, relying on default settings is like expecting a chocolate teapot to hold water. If you want to deep‑dive, check out Mark M’s specialized guide on How to Secure WordPress 2025 and our own detailed resources hub.

Now that you know all the tricks for how to secure WordPress 2025, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Your site—and your sanity—will thank you.