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

System users


Placed in the wrong hands or manipulated by scripts, user accounts can be used to wreak havoc. And remember, while we may tend to think of users as being human, they need not be. As well as root and the web server user, for example, many system users are created by new packages with privileges to run processes.

Human or not, our responsibility is to contain user accounts so they cannot create direct damage, nor be hijacked. The level of control we have over this will depend on our hosting option, but an awareness overall is a thoroughly sensible thing.

Shared human accounts

Follow the logic. Shared user accounts lead to an increased risk of passwords, else maybe an authentication key, falling into the wrong hands. Not only that, they handicap troubleshooting because they obscure logging.

What is more, human or not, likely you and other users should have entirely different privileges. Never give any user, including you, any more privileges than is necessary because to do so jeopardizes...