Key Takeaways
- Strengthen your defenses with secure hosting, multi-factor sign-ins, and a web application firewall so your site stays fast, trusted, and harder to knock offline than competing sites.
- Follow a layered checklist by choosing a security-focused host, locking down every admin login (strong passwords, limited tries, and multi-factor), and placing a firewall in front of your site to block common attacks.
- Protect your customers and your team by reducing break-in risk with multi-factor sign-ins and smart login controls, so you spend less time on cleanup and more time on your work.
- Hide your WordPress admin page by changing the default /wp-admin path to cut off many automated attacks before they even start.
Right now, as you’re reading this, someone is trying to break into a website.
Every 39 seconds, a cyberattack happens somewhere online. In 2024 alone, Cloudflare stopped over 21.3 million DDoS attacks—that’s roughly 40 attacks every single minute. And those numbers keep climbing year after year.
Here’s the reality: your website isn’t sitting in some quiet corner of the internet. It’s out there in the open, constantly being scanned by automated bots looking for weak spots. The question isn’t whether attackers will come knocking—it’s when, and whether your defenses will hold.
Most website owners get this wrong from the start. They install a security plugin, set up a strong password, check the box, and move on. It feels like progress, but it’s not nearly enough. Attackers don’t stand still—they’re always testing new tactics, hunting for outdated plugins, and exploiting the same vulnerabilities that exist on millions of WordPress sites.
Real security isn’t a one-time task. It’s a layered system where each defense catches what the others might miss.
Where Your Site Lives Matters
Your hosting provider is your first line of defense, and not all hosts are created equal. Shared servers with loose security configurations are like living in an apartment building where one neighbor’s break-in puts everyone at risk. When one account gets compromised, the entire server can become vulnerable.
A safe web hosting provider gives you more than just server space—they provide active protection. Look for hosts that offer properly configured firewalls, server-level malware scanning, and regular security audits. These features work together as your first barrier against attacks before they ever reach your website files.
CISA (the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) is crystal clear on this: every organization needs multi-factor authentication for remote network access and administrative functions. That includes your hosting control panel, FTP accounts, and any other backdoor into your site. These are exactly the entry points attackers target first.
Lock Down Your Login Points
WordPress runs about 43% of all websites on the internet. Attackers know this, which makes it their favorite target. Cloudflare’s Q4 2024 report revealed something alarming: 98% of HTTP requests hitting the /wp-admin/ path were part of DDoS attacks. That’s your default WordPress admin dashboard getting hammered by automated bots trying to flood your server or crack their way inside.
Here’s what actually works to protect your login:
Change your admin URL from the default /wp-admin/ if your platform supports it. This simple move eliminates most automated attacks because bots are scanning for the standard path.
Limit login attempts. After three or five failed tries, lock out that IP address for a set period. Brute force attacks rely on making thousands of password guesses—don’t let them.
Use strong, random passwords. We’re talking 16+ characters mixing uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. Store these in a password manager like 1Password or Bitwarden, not in a document on your desktop.
Enable multi-factor authentication on every admin account. Even if someone steals your password through a phishing email or data breach, they still can’t get in without that second verification code. This protection needs to cover every user with administrative access, not just your main account.
Web Application Firewalls Do the Heavy Lifting
Think of a web application firewall (WAF) as a security checkpoint that inspects every visitor before they reach your site. It sits between incoming traffic and your server, examining each request and blocking anything that matches known attack patterns.
Microsoft’s security guidelines are straightforward: any internet-facing application needs a WAF configured with managed rules. These rule sets pull from multiple intelligence sources, including the OWASP Top 10 (the most critical web application security risks) and real-time threat data gathered from monitoring millions of sites worldwide.
Most WAF solutions run on the ModSecurity engine using OWASP Core Rule Set (CRS) signatures. Here’s something important: the OWASP CRS released a major update in 2024—jumping from version 3.x to 4.x. This was the first major revision in eight years. At the same time, ModSecurity reached its end of life. If you’re using a WAF, check which engine and rule set it’s running. Make sure you’re getting active updates, because outdated protection is barely better than no protection.
For businesses handling payments, this isn’t optional. PCI DSS Requirement 6.6 mandates that public-facing applications must be protected by either secure code review procedures or a web application firewall. Version 4.0 of the standard took effect on March 31, 2024, expanding total requirements from 370 to over 500. The updated requirement 6.4.1 specifically phases out manual vulnerability assessments in favor of automated technical solutions like firewalls.
SQL Injection Remains a Threat
SQL injection attacks work by slipping malicious code into your database through input fields—login forms, search boxes, contact forms, anywhere users can type. If these inputs aren’t properly sanitized, attackers can query your database, extract sensitive information, or even delete everything.
Despite being a well-known vulnerability, SQL injection attacks remain common. Aikido Security discovered 2,400 SQL injection vulnerabilities in open-source projects throughout 2024. While this represents a smaller percentage of total vulnerabilities compared to previous years, the raw numbers are still concerning. Case in point: Group-IB tracked a hacking group called ResumeLooters that stole over 2 million email addresses from at least 65 websites between November and December 2023 using primarily SQL injection attacks.
Protection comes down to three practices:
Use parameterized queries in your database code. This separates user input from actual database commands, making injection attacks impossible.
Validate and sanitize all user inputs. Never trust what visitors type into forms.
Keep your content management system and plugins updated. Many SQL injection vulnerabilities exist in outdated software that never gets patched.
Encrypt Everything With Proper Certificates
Over 85% of websites worldwide now use HTTPS encryption, and Google reports that 95% of indexed sites support encrypted connections. If you’re still running HTTP without an SSL/TLS certificate, every piece of data transmitted between your visitors and your server is exposed—passwords, personal information, payment details, all of it.
But not all certificates are equal. PCI DSS and NIST recommend TLS 1.2 as the minimum standard, and NIST plans to require TLS 1.3 support moving forward.
Certificate management is about to get more demanding. In April 2025, the CA/Browser Forum approved Ballot SC-081v3, a proposal from Apple that shortens certificate lifespans and validation periods. This means organizations will need to renew certificates more frequently. If you’re running multiple domains, automated certificate management tools are becoming essential rather than optional.
Prepare for Large-Scale Attacks
Hyper-volumetric DDoS attacks exploded in scale during 2024. Cloudflare mitigated over 420 attacks exceeding 1 terabit per second in the fourth quarter alone—a staggering 1,885% increase from the previous quarter according to SOCRadar’s analysis. One attack peaked at 5.6 Tbps, which is enough traffic to overwhelm most infrastructure in seconds.
Your individual server cannot absorb this volume of traffic. You need cloud-based DDoS protection services that filter malicious requests before they ever reach your infrastructure. Configure rate limiting to throttle excessive requests from single IP addresses. Distribute your content across multiple servers using a content delivery network (CDN), so attacks against one location don’t bring down your entire site.
Ransomware and Your Online Presence
Ransomware hit 59% of organizations in 2024, with global attacks climbing 11% to reach 5,414 incidents. The financial impact is severe—Sophos research shows the average ransom payment jumped from $400,000 in 2023 to $2 million in 2024.
Your website files and databases are prime targets for encryption in these attacks. Regular backups stored separately from your main server give you recovery options when (not if) something goes wrong. Store backups in a different physical location or cloud environment that isn’t directly accessible from your main infrastructure.
Test your backups periodically. A backup you’ve never restored is just a theory, not a plan. Segment your network so a compromised workstation or user account can’t directly access your server infrastructure.
Keep Software Current
Outdated software is an open invitation to attackers. They don’t need to be sophisticated—they just scan for known vulnerabilities that remain unpatched. NIST Special Publication 800-44 lists maintaining updated software as a core practice for securing web servers, and for good reason.
Update your content management system when security patches are released. Update every plugin and theme you’re running. Remove plugins you’re no longer using—they remain attack vectors even when deactivated. Monitor security advisories for the specific software your site depends on.
Set a regular schedule for checking updates. Weekly is good, daily is better for critical sites. Automated updates work well for some components but can break compatibility with custom code or other plugins. When possible, test updates in a staging environment before pushing them to your live site.
Monitor What Happens on Your Site
Server logs record everything that happens—every request, every login attempt, every file accessed. Review them regularly. Look for patterns that signal trouble: repeated failed login attempts from the same IP, requests to unusual file paths that shouldn’t exist, sudden traffic spikes from single sources.
CISA has increased delivery of free resilience-building assessments by 80% since launching Shields Ready. These assessments help organizations identify vulnerabilities before attackers find them. Third-party security scanning services offer similar functionality, testing your site against known attack patterns and flagging weaknesses in your configuration.
You can also set up automated monitoring tools that alert you to suspicious activity in real time rather than discovering problems days later in log files.
Your Site Exists in a Hostile Environment
Every website operates under constant threat. Protection isn’t about implementing one big security feature and calling it done. It requires attention across every layer—from the server configuration to the SSL certificates encrypting your traffic to the software processing visitor requests.
Each defensive layer adds friction for attackers. Enough friction makes your site more work than it’s worth, sending them hunting for easier targets. The goal isn’t to become completely impenetrable—it’s to be more secure than the next site down the list.
Summary
External threats are not rare events. They are constant. A cyberattack happens about every 39 seconds, and in 2024 Cloudflare reported stopping more than 21 million DDoS attacks. That is a clear signal for ecommerce teams: you do not “set and forget” website security. You build layers that work together, so if one layer fails, another one still protects your store.
Start with where your site lives. Your hosting provider is your first line of defense. Cheap, crowded servers can turn one hacked account into a bigger problem for everyone on that machine. Choose a host that offers strong firewalls, malware scanning, and regular security checks. Then protect every door into your site, not just WordPress. Turn on multi-factor sign-in for your hosting panel, FTP, and every admin account. This step alone can stop many takeovers, even if a password gets stolen.
Next, tighten your login points. WordPress is a major target, and bots often hammer common admin paths like /wp-admin/. Simple controls make a big difference: use long random passwords stored in a password manager, limit login attempts, and change the default admin URL when possible. These changes remove easy targets and slow down automated attacks.
Finally, add a web application firewall in front of your site to screen traffic before it reaches your store. A good firewall blocks known attack patterns and can absorb many DDoS attempts. Just as important, keep it updated. Outdated protections can give a false sense of safety, especially as tools and attack methods change.
If you want to act on this today, do these three moves in order:
- Enable multi-factor sign-in everywhere (hosting, WordPress admins, email).
- Lock down WordPress access (limit login attempts, use strong passwords, change the admin path if supported).
- Put a firewall in front of your site and confirm it receives current rule updates.
Next Steps
Run a quick security audit this week. List every admin user, every login path, your hosting access points, and your firewall status. Then set a monthly reminder to review updates, remove unused plugins, and remove old accounts. If you want help building that checklist into a simple workflow for your team, tell me what platform you use (Shopify, WooCommerce, or something else) and who manages your hosting, and I will tailor a one-page action plan.
