Many people who run a website through WordPress are familiar with hiding the WordPress login. But is it worth the hassle of doing so and does it offer enough protection from anything serious? Many people are split on the notion of hiding the WordPress default /wp-admin/ on their website, mostly because the results from doing so might not be as rewarding.
WordPress security is always a major concern for those who host websites on the internet. If you have a lot of traffic to your website daily or sensitive information, then WordPress safety is something to always keep in mind. But the debate about removing the login continues to get brought up for those looking to make their websites more secure against hazards online.
Do you wonder whether hiding the WordPress admin default /wp-admin/ is worth the hassle? Continue reading our overview to see all that you need to know about hiding WordPress admin and online safety.
Why Do People Hide WordPress?
This is to help cut and prevent a website from brute-force attacks by hackers. Websites are vulnerable if /wp-admin/ is accessible by bots and hackers who want to cause problems.
Hackers that try to log in and fail multiple times may break your administrative password. It’s the most common of attacks from hackers on WordPress websites. In 2017, security provider Wordfence found that almost 1 billion brute-force attacks happened, with a much larger number of possibly unreported cases.
So does hiding where you access the admin login a good way to prevent this? It’s a good first step, but it’s not considered a definitive solution. Like the phrase “security through obscurity”, security happens by keeping information secret.
For some this is a weak approach because keeping the vital areas a secret does not prevent access or provide real WordPress security. The tools are still there even if they’re hidden.
Hackers will still find what they need if they have the right tools available and no other measures are in place to stop them. A good hacker will have various ways to find how to access sensitive information.
How to Hide a WordPress Login
Hiding WordPress on your pages is done in a few ways. You can either use a plugin that hides the login and admin bar on your pages, or you can insert code manually into your web pages. It’s a lot easier to use a plugin to hide everything while inserting code will take longer depending on how elaborate a website is constructed.
The plugin WPS Hide Login for WordPress does exactly that, you can hide the default /wp-admin/ and have a custom URL. It’s super easy to use on WordPress and quick to put in place. Code on the other hand will need you to go into the Theme Editor on WordPress and insert a snippet of code to do the same thing.
What Are the Alternatives?
There are a variety of newer and more effective ways to protect a WordPress website from security breaches. 2-factor authentication is a way to prevent hackers from accessing sensitive information and doing damage. This adds extra steps before allowing someone to access a website with login details.
Other options that should be considered are having Limited Login Attempts and a configured security plugin. These add on extra layers of defenses against hackers and even malware that could cause serious problems.
Limited login attempts will prevent a hacker from accessing a website and breaking your password. A security plugin will also add other helpful checks and balances to keep any and all sensitive information on your website secure. This can prevent others from accessing key privileges through WordPress and changing things.
Should You Still Hide WordPress Admin?
Even though many would agree that hiding admin is a shallow form of WordPress security and WordPress safety, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do so. Multiple ways of protecting your website from hackers are always a good idea and smart practice, but an easy way of doing so should not be the only form of protection you have.
The idea is to make it difficult for any hacker to access your backend. The more steps you take to prevent that from happening, the better off your website will be when it’s live. Hiding admin and installing plugins together is a much better form of online safety and security.
Hiding WordPress and Staying Secure
By looking through our guide on hiding WordPress default /wp-admin/ and WordPress security, you’ll have a much better idea of approaching online safety with your website. Nobody wants to deal with the hassle of their website being hacked or ruined by hackers, so any information to aid you in preventing that is an invaluable asset. You don’t want hiding admin to be your only defense against this, but it’s not a bad idea to still do so and keep your website safe and secure.
Want to get support for your WordPress-built website and other helpful info for your business? Visit the Reggio website for blog articles you can read and browse through WordPress managed hosting products you can get for your website. You can protect your website against hackers and other attacks with their secure servers and more.