Stay proactive for a secure website
All websites created by KM Digital Design use the WordPress software platform. Unless otherwise requested, all are hosted at Siteground web hosting. This means you have some great security measures right out of the gate. However, malware and hackers are everywhere. To keep your site clean and unblacklisted here are some rules we require our clients to follow:
1. Use strong passwords! A strong password contains a RANDOM set of upper and lower case letters, numbers and some characters that is at least 10 -12 digits long. The inconvenience of this is strongly overruled by its value. If your password contains your website or company name- it’s much more likely to be hacked.
Record the password somewhere so you won’t have to depend on remembering it. Most modern browsers will also “remember” your password for you if you choose (only do this on private, personal computers). WordPress has a built in password recovery link at every login screen.
2. Keep your personal computers and your network clean and protected with up-to-date virus protection software. Keep your operating system up-to-date by installing all security patches.
3. NEVER use images or files from the internet on your WordPress site, unless you have scanned them with malware/virus software protection BEFORE you upload them to your WordPress server.
We recommend purchasing all images for your site or blog posts. KMDD often purchases from www.123rf.com. You can get stock images for as low as one dollar (not an advertisement, just a suggestion).
Additional optional steps to keep your site secure:
• Siteground Hack Alert - For KM Digital Design and Siteground clients, this service will notify you of malware infections as they happen. It is not a cleanup service ($25 annual fee).
• Sucuri Website Security - The company offers malware detection, cleanup and prevention. They will also get your site unblacklisted (which won’t happen if you proactively pay for the service). Purchase Sucuri services before you have an infection to keep your site safe ($19.98/month– third party service).