Book Image

WordPress 3 Ultimate Security

Book Image

WordPress 3 Ultimate Security

Overview of this book

Most likely – today – some hacker tried to crack your WordPress site, its data and content – maybe once but, with automated tools, very likely dozens or hundreds of times. There's no silver bullet but if you want to cut the odds of a successful attack from practically inevitable to practically zero, read this book. WordPress 3 Ultimate Security shows you how to hack your site before someone else does. You'll uncover its weaknesses before sealing them off, securing your content and your day-to-day local-to-remote editorial process. This is more than some "10 Tips ..." guide. It's ultimate protection – because that's what you need. Survey your network, using the insight from this book to scan for and seal the holes before galvanizing the network with a rack of cool tools. Solid! The WordPress platform is only as safe as the weakest network link, administrator discipline, and your security knowledge. We'll cover the bases, underpinning your working process from any location, containing content, locking down the platform, your web files, the database, and the server. With that done, your ongoing security is infinitely more manageable. Covering deep-set security yet enjoyable to read, WordPress 3 Ultimate Security will multiply your understanding and fortify your site.
Table of Contents (23 chapters)
WordPress 3 Ultimate Security
Credits
About the Author
Acknowledgement
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Denying access to wp-config.php


In Chapter 5 we looked at how to protect web directories, introducing the valuable htaccess tool to secure wp-admin. We'll use that file again now to add impermeability to the kingpin core file, wp-config.php.

Note

htaccess must be hidden. Achieve this by appending its name with a dot. It will look like .htaccess, always.

The htaccess file permissions are set, ideally, to 640 or, at least, to 644.

Create or open up an htaccess file in your WordPress root directory, adding this code:

<Files wp-config.php>
  Order deny,allow
  Deny from all
</Files>

What that does is to pinpoint the wp-config.php file, saying that surfers can't look at this file under any circumstances, whatsoever, howsoever, irrespective, or ever. Note the word surfers. If someone somehow cracks your server, all bets are off. Nonetheless, this is important, not least of all if you accidentally promote the file's permissions.