WordPress a new target in latest online data security threat

Do you manage a blog or company site powered by WordPress? If so, your online data security may be in jeopardy.

Any popular site for hosting content can be a natural magnet for the devious intentions of hackers. Wordpress is free and easy to use, and its popularity has made it a victim of security breaches before.

In the most recent case, the culprit seems to be a botnet – a collection of internet-connected programs communicating with other similar programs in order to perform tasks. This botnet prays on the careless and naive by targeting any site with a login that contains the word “admin” or other default-sounding names and by predicting passwords. It goes to show that when it comes to crafting your digital identity, applying even basic computer tricks taught to kids in elementary school these days can help protect your rights and information.

I know, I know: it’s hard to imagine that people still fail to use such basic safeguards as having strong user names and passwords. Believe it or not, failure to do this has allowed hackers to compromise thousands of accounts and computers. And once your site is hacked, it stays hacked and joins the botnet in a way that can aid future attacks. Though there are ways to deal with breaches after the damage is done, the best method is still taking preventative measures to safeguard your online data security beforehand.

Solving WordPress Online Data Security Threat

In some cases, the site can be your friend on this. Wordpress founder Matt Mullenweg addressed this in his blog. He offered these basic pieces of advice:

If you still use “admin” as a username on your blog, change it
Use a strong password
If you’re on WP.com, turn on two-factor authentication
Make sure you’re up-to-date on the latest version of WordPress

Taking some simple steps and remembering the basics will help ensure that you’re not the next target when hackers set their sights on a service you use.

John Sileo is an online data security expert and keynote speaker on identity theft, reputation protection and digital privacy. His clients included the Department of Defense, Pfizer, and Homeland Security. See his recent media appearances on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper and Fox Business.

Posted by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo in Cyber Data Security and tagged Data Security Expert, online data security.