How to Stop DDoS Attacks on WordPress with the Right Plugin
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 6:31 am
WordPress is one of the most trusted content management systems . Millions of people trust it as their primary website builder. However, you should not ignore security issues like DDoS attacks if you want to keep your websites running. You cannot leave your public websites unprotected, leaving them susceptible to DDoS attacks. Otherwise, all your efforts and money will go down the drain in a matter of seconds before you even realize it. A powerful attack can result in the site being down for a long time. Imagine making a living from a website and not being able to access it because of a DDoS attack. Sounds scary, right? Don’t worry, we know how alarming this issue is . So, in this article, we have shown you how to stop DDoS attacks on WordPress both manually and using mongolia b2b leads
a plugin. Before we dive deeper, let’s first learn what a DDoS attack is .
Contents hide
1 What is a DDoS attack?
2 How does DDoS affect your website?
3 Are DDoS attacks and hacking the same thing?
4 Reasons You Might Be a Target of DDoS Attacks
5 How to Stop DDoS Attacks on WordPress
5.1 Protect your website from DDoS attack manually
5.2 Use plugins to prevent DDoS attacks
5.2.1 Activating and configuring the Wordfence security system
5.2.2 Wordfence alternative
5.2.2.1 MalCare
5.2.2.2 Security Ninja
6 Bonus: Proven Tips to Stop a DDoS Attack on WordPress
7 Final Thoughts
7.1 Related publications:
What is a DDoS attack?
DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service. A DDoS attack is a cyber attack that uses a network of compromised computers (also known as botnets ). These botnets send massive amounts of data or multiple requests to a target server at the same time. This sudden flood of data often exceeds the server's capacity. This causes websites to slow down or crash due to the excessive traffic/data/requests that they cannot handle.
How does DDoS affect your website?
The effects of a DDoS attack depend on several variables, such as your preparation, the security of your server, and the power of the attack . Server power varies in many ways. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for determining how an attack may affect your site . Here is a list of some common problems caused by a DDoS attack.
Your website may stop working . The most common result of a DDoS attack is a slow and unresponsive website. If the attack is too strong for your system, the site may go down at the height of the attack. You won't be able to get your site back up and running until you fix the problem.
It becomes easier to hack . During a DDoS attack, everyone focuses on mitigating the attack, leaving the security system vulnerable. And chances are high that the attack will weaken the security features of your WordPress site. You need to ensure optimal security for your WordPress site to remain risk-free (almost).
You will lose time and money . Let's say you have an online store . If it falls victim to a DDoS attack, you will suffer significant financial losses . Customers will not be able to place an order, and existing customers will not be able to check the order status. In addition, you may need to hire security specialists to completely neutralize the attack . If you cannot get the site back up and running, it will be down for a long time.
Your brand reputation will be at stake . Visitors and online shoppers will not be able to access or sign in to your site during an attack. If you have a large customer base , your support/customer service managers may be fielding hundreds of calls at a time. This type of service outage seriously damages your brand reputation. Customers/visitors may begin to feel unsure about making purchases or obtaining information from your site.
SEO health will deteriorate . Google bots often crawl websites to find and index new or updated content . You can lose rankings if they come to your site when the site is down. Sometimes it even takes a few days to get the site back up and running. During this time, the affected site is usually redirected to a bad 502 gateway. This also negatively affects search engine rankings . Moreover, all the links pointing to your site will also not work. All this combined will deteriorate the SEO health of your site.
]
Are DDoS attacks and hacking the same thing?
Some people confuse hacking and brute force attacks with DDoS attacks. Yes, hacking and brute force attacks are other forms of cyber attacks . But they are different from DDoS. Hacking is taking control of a system and exploiting the weaknesses in the security system to gain access to the system or website. While DDoS means making a website slow or inaccessible by flooding the traffic directed to the target site. Brute force attack is also a type of hacking where hackers try to get the login information by performing trial and error attacks. Hackers try to guess all the possible combinations and find the right credentials to gain access to your website. Hacking /brute force attack is more serious in case of a business website. If a malicious hacker misuses the data stored on your website, it can lead to irreparable losses. You can even lose control of the website permanently.
Why You Might Be a Target of DDoS Attacks
You may be wondering why someone would want to DDoS your site. Some attackers have very specific goals , while others do it just for fun. Let's look at the possible reasons.
1. Attacks by unethical competitors: You cannot expect all your business competitors to adhere to strict principles. Instead of outperforming you through legitimate means, some competitors may sponsor DDoS attacks to gain a competitive advantage over you. What is even more frustrating is that you cannot identify the attackers as they usually use untraceable IP addresses .
2. Attacks by followers of another ideology: Suppose you run a site that promotes the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, a motivated group of anti-BLM supporters could launch a DDoS attack on your site to disrupt your normal operations. Or, if you support Donald Trump, someone who is against him could launch an attack to take your site down. When such attacks occur because of ideology or beliefs, it is called “hacktivism . ”
3. Website Vulnerability Attacks : People with excellent technical knowledge sometimes perform DDoS attacks just for fun. For them, it is nothing but an adventure, a source of relaxation. Websites with poor security and vulnerability are most often the victims of such attacks .
4. Attacks for monetary gain: You can easily become a target of DDoS if the downtime of your website is of great importance to your business. The attacker may plan an attack to blackmail you and demand ransom.
a plugin. Before we dive deeper, let’s first learn what a DDoS attack is .
Contents hide
1 What is a DDoS attack?
2 How does DDoS affect your website?
3 Are DDoS attacks and hacking the same thing?
4 Reasons You Might Be a Target of DDoS Attacks
5 How to Stop DDoS Attacks on WordPress
5.1 Protect your website from DDoS attack manually
5.2 Use plugins to prevent DDoS attacks
5.2.1 Activating and configuring the Wordfence security system
5.2.2 Wordfence alternative
5.2.2.1 MalCare
5.2.2.2 Security Ninja
6 Bonus: Proven Tips to Stop a DDoS Attack on WordPress
7 Final Thoughts
7.1 Related publications:
What is a DDoS attack?
DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service. A DDoS attack is a cyber attack that uses a network of compromised computers (also known as botnets ). These botnets send massive amounts of data or multiple requests to a target server at the same time. This sudden flood of data often exceeds the server's capacity. This causes websites to slow down or crash due to the excessive traffic/data/requests that they cannot handle.
How does DDoS affect your website?
The effects of a DDoS attack depend on several variables, such as your preparation, the security of your server, and the power of the attack . Server power varies in many ways. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for determining how an attack may affect your site . Here is a list of some common problems caused by a DDoS attack.
Your website may stop working . The most common result of a DDoS attack is a slow and unresponsive website. If the attack is too strong for your system, the site may go down at the height of the attack. You won't be able to get your site back up and running until you fix the problem.
It becomes easier to hack . During a DDoS attack, everyone focuses on mitigating the attack, leaving the security system vulnerable. And chances are high that the attack will weaken the security features of your WordPress site. You need to ensure optimal security for your WordPress site to remain risk-free (almost).
You will lose time and money . Let's say you have an online store . If it falls victim to a DDoS attack, you will suffer significant financial losses . Customers will not be able to place an order, and existing customers will not be able to check the order status. In addition, you may need to hire security specialists to completely neutralize the attack . If you cannot get the site back up and running, it will be down for a long time.
Your brand reputation will be at stake . Visitors and online shoppers will not be able to access or sign in to your site during an attack. If you have a large customer base , your support/customer service managers may be fielding hundreds of calls at a time. This type of service outage seriously damages your brand reputation. Customers/visitors may begin to feel unsure about making purchases or obtaining information from your site.
SEO health will deteriorate . Google bots often crawl websites to find and index new or updated content . You can lose rankings if they come to your site when the site is down. Sometimes it even takes a few days to get the site back up and running. During this time, the affected site is usually redirected to a bad 502 gateway. This also negatively affects search engine rankings . Moreover, all the links pointing to your site will also not work. All this combined will deteriorate the SEO health of your site.
]
Are DDoS attacks and hacking the same thing?
Some people confuse hacking and brute force attacks with DDoS attacks. Yes, hacking and brute force attacks are other forms of cyber attacks . But they are different from DDoS. Hacking is taking control of a system and exploiting the weaknesses in the security system to gain access to the system or website. While DDoS means making a website slow or inaccessible by flooding the traffic directed to the target site. Brute force attack is also a type of hacking where hackers try to get the login information by performing trial and error attacks. Hackers try to guess all the possible combinations and find the right credentials to gain access to your website. Hacking /brute force attack is more serious in case of a business website. If a malicious hacker misuses the data stored on your website, it can lead to irreparable losses. You can even lose control of the website permanently.
Why You Might Be a Target of DDoS Attacks
You may be wondering why someone would want to DDoS your site. Some attackers have very specific goals , while others do it just for fun. Let's look at the possible reasons.
1. Attacks by unethical competitors: You cannot expect all your business competitors to adhere to strict principles. Instead of outperforming you through legitimate means, some competitors may sponsor DDoS attacks to gain a competitive advantage over you. What is even more frustrating is that you cannot identify the attackers as they usually use untraceable IP addresses .
2. Attacks by followers of another ideology: Suppose you run a site that promotes the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, a motivated group of anti-BLM supporters could launch a DDoS attack on your site to disrupt your normal operations. Or, if you support Donald Trump, someone who is against him could launch an attack to take your site down. When such attacks occur because of ideology or beliefs, it is called “hacktivism . ”
3. Website Vulnerability Attacks : People with excellent technical knowledge sometimes perform DDoS attacks just for fun. For them, it is nothing but an adventure, a source of relaxation. Websites with poor security and vulnerability are most often the victims of such attacks .
4. Attacks for monetary gain: You can easily become a target of DDoS if the downtime of your website is of great importance to your business. The attacker may plan an attack to blackmail you and demand ransom.