Let’s face it – EVERY site (including WordPress ones) is susceptible to security problems.

Now I don’t want to give the idea that WordPress is insecure – it’s actually VERY secure, and updated frequently as problems arise.

But it’s the nature of the Internet – people can come ‘knocking’ at your website’s door 24/7, and some of them REALLY enjoy vandalizing!

What can you do?

• Keep alert to security updates – if a program (like WordPress) releases a new version, update it.
• Avoid third-party plugins and themes you aren’t comfortable with. Themes and plugins can have security holes, so trust where you get the ones you use – or don’t use them.
• Watch out for bad neighborhoods. Free hosting is, well, free. Not that it’s bad – but in all fairness, if there’s a problem with the site, or there’s a security breach, you get what you pay for. Instead, go with a paid site, and improve the chances the people can afford to protect their servers – AND your site.
• Check email carefully. One area that plugins can really fail is with email forms, which if poorly written can become spam gateways. Make sure yours is ‘locked up’ tight.

Of course, wandering hordes of script kiddies are NOT beating down the door to your website as we speak – so while security is important, worrying yourself excessively can be a problem as well!

A little care and attention can make a website much safer. So do a check of your site for the worst offenders, then plan to do more detail ASAP – and get your site into better shape, and less a target for hackers!

(if you’d like more information on how to protect your site, I just happened to have a report on security for WordPress sites at my Top10Tricks site)