Website Security and Maintenance Checklist
Review Site Settings
When using WordPress for website development, we verify site settings in the dashboard for potential vulnerabilities. The following sections must be secured to prevent code injection:
Contact Form
Contact forms are a common entry point for user input. Malicious code can be injected through these fields. All input fields must be validated to ensure security.
Captcha for Forms
Forms (e.g., contact forms) that accept user input and submit data to the server should include CAPTCHA validation to prevent automated programs from submitting forms multiple times, which could cause performance issues.
Comments Settings
Public comment sections on blog posts should be reviewed and filtered for spam content before being published to prevent malicious or inappropriate content.
Define necessary roles for all website users.
Assign permissions to specific pages to ensure secure access control..
Verify User Accounts and Permissions
Organizing user roles and permissions is essential to manage website access. We:
- Define different access levels for administrators, editors, and viewers.
- Ensure only authorized users can edit or delete content.
- Set role-based permissions to maintain security and control.
- Prevent unauthorized changes to website settings or data.
Perform Regular Updates
We conduct regular checks on the versions of software, plugins, and themes used. Any outdated or end-of-life components will be updated immediately to mitigate the risk of attacks.
Check Your Website Plan and SSL Renewal
All our website plans include a **free SSL certificate** for one year. However, SSL certificates require renewal to prevent malicious activity through your website URL. Think Web Solutions monitors these renewals as part of our maintenance plan to ensure timely certificate renewal.
Assess Website Traffic
Website traffic can cause downtime during peak periods. We monitor heavily used websites using **Google Analytics** and take the following actions:
Note significant traffic spikes.
Recommend hosting resource upgrades to avoid disruptions during promotional periods
Perform Security Audit via Tools
We use online tools like **Acunetix**, a popular tool for web application security audits, to assess your website. A security audit provides insights into:
Malware
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
SQL Injection
