How to Perform a Backup with iThemes Security
May 2, 2014
This section of the guide looks at backing up your databases using the iThemes Security plugin.
Step 1) Login to the WordPress Dashboard.
Step 2) Backing up your Database will allow you to simply restore you site to how it was before if you are hacked or any other security issues occur. You can backup the full database or pick and choose sections to backup.
Step 3) The File Change Detection section will notify you if any changes have been made to any files on your site. If you haven’t made these changes yourself, you will know that a hacking has taken place and be able to make swift changes. You can also hide the login page of your site to throw off any potential hacker who might try to gain entry to your site via the usual /wp-admin page.
Step 4) The Secure Socket Layers (SSL) will protect you against hackers by encrypting any data you post so that it can’t be intercepted, and protect your logins and passwords over the web.
Step 5) A really useful feature of the iThemes Security Plugin is the Strong Password feature. It will say Weak, Medium, Good or Strong depending on what password you punch in, and protect you against hackers who take advantage of people who use Password1 and think they’re protected…
Step 6) The System Tweaks section is used to further protect your site against hacking attempts. You can disable PHP uploads (disabling hackers who might try to upload malware to your site) and protect yourself against hackers gaining access to any readme.html, readme.txt, wp-config.php, install.php, wp-includes, and .htaccess files.
Step 7) The WordPress Tweaks section of the Settings page is great for ensuring that each section of your site is protected from hackers and spammers. There are a range of tweaks you can make from this page, including removing the meta tag, identifying comments from spambots and eliminating them and forcing folk who try to log in to the site to create a unique nickname, which is great for cutting down on spam and hack attempts. Make sure you read through this section carefully.
The next step of the guide will focus on Reviewing the iThemes Security Logs & Help.