If you have a website or blog, you've likely heard of plugins used to complement or provide functionalities to the website without the need for coding. You already have an idea of how much time they can save in creating websites with WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and other CMS platforms.

In this article, we'll introduce you to what a plugin is and how it could affect the security of your website, especially if it's built with WordPress, and how to protect it.

What is a Plugin?

Plugins are independent software components that integrate into a website to expand, complement, or even enhance its functionalities. In other words, plugins allow us to perform actions that WordPress itself doesn't include. The list is extensive, ranging from actions like duplicating a menu or a page to more advanced tools like adding an online store, a contact form, or a hotel reservation system.

Think of your website like your mobile phone, and plugins like the apps you install on it. Plugins are to a website what apps are to a smartphone.

A plugin benefits a web designer by providing additional tools and functionalities that can be easily integrated into a website without requiring custom programming.

Put more simply, we can add any necessary add-ons to our site. In the case of WordPress, these resources are essential because, unlike Joomla, WordPress itself has very few built-in features. The basic tools that a website needs in WordPress don't exist, and it's necessary to install a plugin.

How Do They Affect Website Security?

Although plugins are incredibly useful for saving time, it's crucial to handle them with caution. The more plugins you have installed, the higher the likelihood of encountering virus and malware attacks, leading to negative consequences for your page, its visitors, your business's credibility, and even financial loss.

This is because all these add-ons added to your website aren't original parts of the website platform; they use a method of connection, and this connection is precisely an entry point for hackers.

Why Would a Cybercriminal Attack My Site?

This is a common question among SME owners and entrepreneurs when it comes to site security.

We often associate cybercrime with the interest of stealing sensitive information like credit card data or government secrets. However, in the digital world, there are scams and cyberattacks where cybercriminals need to control thousands of websites. To name just two: SEO Scam (digital marketing scam) and DDoS attacks (cyberattacks on governments and large companies).

In the case of SEO Scam, the cybercriminal poses as an SEO expert and promises the victim to rank their website in the top spot of Google and other search engines. To achieve this, they use websites where they've previously installed their virus. With a simple click, they generate thousands of links pointing to the victim's website from various sites. This action leads Google and other search engines to consider the victim's site as relevant, boosting its position in the results. Once the victim makes the payment for the supposed services, the scammer, to avoid being traced, removes the links again with just one click.

Now you can see why hackers are so interested in SME and entrepreneur websites. To carry out these types of scams, the hacker needs to have previously infected hundreds of thousands of websites; and it's easier to infect small business and entrepreneur sites than larger corporations, which have more resources for cybersecurity and technical personnel.

What Makes WordPress Attractive to Hackers?

In the case of WordPress-developed sites, three elements come together that make them attractive to hackers involved in SEO scams.

1. It's the most popular website design CMS.

It's estimated that nearly 80% of sites are developed with WordPress. And for a hacker, it's more efficient to develop a virus that affects 80% of websites than one to affect platforms with a market share of less than 10%.

2. It needs a large number of plugins to function.

As mentioned, WordPress lacks the simplest tools, which is why it needs the installation of many plugins; and each plugin, not being part of the system itself, is a gateway for hackers.

3. It's used by novice web designers.

WordPress is considered the easiest website design platform to use, making it very attractive for entrepreneurs looking to get into web development. These entrepreneurs have very little or no knowledge of security.

These three aspects make developing viruses and malware for WordPress so profitable and attractive for hackers.

Even if your WordPress website is small, not well-known, or not at the top of Google searches, it's not exempt from this type of attack since hackers don't usually target individuals personally; they develop bots that do it automatically.

In Conclusion: What's the Solution?

If your site is designed on WordPress, take inventory of all the installed plugins. Check if they're in use or are useful for site management.

• Uninstall any plugins that aren't useful for management or functionality for visitors.
• Regularly update the platform, theme, plugins, and the PHP version that supports it.

The above actions are essential, but our top recommendation, as a digital agency providing web advice since 2011, is to invest in a WAF (Web Application Firewall).

The WAF is a protective barrier for your site. It's to your website what an antivirus is to your personal computer. It monitors, filters, and blocks all malicious traffic and prevents any unauthorized data from leaving.

If you want to learn more about what a WAF is, we have an article on this blog that covers the topic; you can click below: What Is a WAF?