Tag Archives: wordpress

Virus protection for your WordPress Installation

Recent high profile hacks have brought the topic of website security to the fore. No longer is internet safety solely the domain of the CIA and Lulzsec – it’s now also an issue for your own personal site. No-one wants to be the one spreading Viagra messages across the web; your website is your online personality, and clients generally like to know that you can take care of your own website.

With WordPress dominating the new-build website market, vulnerabilities in one website are becoming increasingly worrisome for others on the same platform, but luckily there are a number of simple ways to ensure you minimise the risk of becoming infected:

Risk Reduction

Updates are annoying. Although some may think they serve no purpose other than to consume our lives with pointless website management, most updates have a good reason for being released. The Reuters blog, a high traffic website, started spewing fake interviews with Syrian Rebels across the internet after a hack utilized its outdated and compromised version of WordPress. The update would have taken 20 minutes maximum. So when you see that nagging reminder on your WordPress dashboard asking you to update? Do it! Clicking ‘update’ will take far less time than trawling your website at a later date trying to remedy the situation.

Prevention is always better than a cure; with WordPress, the one-click update process is as user-friendly as it gets. The first step in website security is not computer wizardry, but simple diligence.

Choose your plugins wisely

The beauty of WordPress is in it’s modularity; it will do whatever you want and a whole bunch more. But when you’re adding functionality to your site, whether its a simple Twitter widget or a whole E-commerce platform, choose wisely. Google is great at giving you a whole slew of options for every possible plugin, but there is a simple checklist that can turn your guess into an educated decision:

1. How often is the plugin updated? Look for a plugin that has been updated since the last main WordPress update. An author who is on top of their plugin is more likely to identify any flaws and remedy them before you even download the plugin.

2. Who is the Author? A reputable developer with an updated website and a range of products is more likely to stay on top of bug fixes and updates than a single freelance developer. The functionality may not differ, but the long term support will.

3. What’s the rating? Open source is awesome, and people like to talk. These two tenants of the modern web mean that the WordPress ratings can be trusted to guide you in the right direction when choosing a plugin. What’s the best rating you can get? Ask us! We use a variety of plugins everyday and can quickly evaluate whether the product will do what you need while keeping your site safe.

Clean out the closet

Although WordPress minimises the effort needed to keep your site in good shape, it is not a fit and forget solution. Take a couple of minutes every so often to go through your plugins and see if there is a better solution that solves your problem. Is there a new tool which gives you the functionality you need without anything extra? As always, simple is best; the less extra fluff your site has, the safer it will be from unscrupulous attacks. Often, new core updates to WordPress bring new features with it – Jetpack is a great example. Bringing these things in house reduces your exposure, not to mention reducing the number of plugins you need to juggle.

Anti-virus solutions

When it comes to anti-virus protection, there are a number of steps which need to be taken. Going back to our first point; update. Update your computer’s operating system and your browser, and make sure your local anti-virus protection is running smoothly. Firewalls may seem very 2001, but they are still relevant in ensuring no one is accessing your computer without your knowledge. Browser extensions can function in a similar capacity; for example the Noscript extension for Firefox allows you to control which websites your give a hall pass to. Once you’ve covered these bases, take a look at the Antivirus plugins available in WordPress plugin repository; although not a fix all solution, they may catch some problems before they become serious issues.

Don’t neglect the simple things

With all that being said, there may be an easier place to start. As basic as it sounds, most attacks use some kind of automated system for gaining access to a system. The dictionary attack, for example is a mechanism that iterates through the most common passwords to find yours. Make your security system impervious, and don’t ever use a common password!

Also think about who has access to your site. Does everyone who writes blog posts really need to have administrator permissions? The less people who can get their hands on your site, the fewer accounts that exist – the safer it will be. Updating your anti-virus software is only useful if everyone else is doing it too.

Conclusions

WordPress does a great job at keeping you safe from the nastiest parts of the web, but it also takes a little bit of work on your side too. Stay on top of updates both on your site and more generally on your computer. Make sure you understand what each plugin is bringing to your site, and avoid any unnecessary exposure. A little housekeeping goes a long way, too. iSupportU keeps on top of these maintenance issues every day, and we can tell you where you’re most vulnerable. If you have questions on keeping your site safe in the long run, send us an email or give us a call and we can find a solution that works for you.

This entry was posted in Tips and Tricks, Web Sites and tagged plugins, security, updates, web design, web development, web site, wordpress on by Erin O'Brien.

What People Are Saying About iSupportU Classes

Technology is cool, but people are better. It’s not just something we say all the time: it’s something we believe.

That’s just one of the reasons we love offering affordable computer education to the people of Boulder and the front range. We hold two classes a month, and we pride ourselves on making them easy to understand without being condescending. Here is what two attendees of our recent WordPress class had to say.

We don’t just teach about websites, though: we teach you how to get the most out of your computer, whatever make or model.

Curious about our upcoming classes? Check out our upcoming classes and sign up now. Be warned, though: our last class sold out quickly, and there’s a good chance that will happen again!

This entry was posted in Events, Specials and tagged classes, education, web, websites, wordpress on by Erin O'Brien.

Attend WordPress 101, a $39 Class from iSupportU

Master the art of controlling your content.

With WordPress, it’s easier than you think. We regularly teach computer novices to take control of their websites in two hours, and they rarely call us back.

Don’t believe it’s possible? Attend “WordPress 101” at iSupportU. This $39 class will outline everything you need to know in order to manage a WordPress website, from pages to blog posts and beyond.

If you can’t update your website yourself, there’s a good chance it might suck. The content is probably out of date, and your webmaster charges you quite a bit to make changes (if you can even get in touch with her at all).

Stop the madness: learn how to take care of things yourself. Erin O’Brien, our resident Code Commander, will lead WordPress 101. She’s one of those kind of nerds that can explain nerdy stuff in a non-nerdy way, so don’t worry if you’re typically intimidated by techno-talks: this one is going to be different.

Click here to register for WordPress 101.

This entry was posted in Events and tagged classes, education, tools we use, web design, websites, wordpress on by Erin O'Brien.

SaneSolutionsByDru.com, Our Latest Website

Working with Dru of SaneSolutionsByDru.com was a real treat. She enjoyed it too. Here’s what she had to say about us:

“I recently worked with Justin Pot and Erin O’Brien at iSupportU to create a new website; my current website was outdated and I was unable to make changes to it myself. The new site is fantastic and easy to use BUT the best part of working with Justin and Erin was their attention to detail, enthusiasm for the project and patience with me while I decided what I wanted and pulled all the pieces together. They agreed to work as a team with my graphic designer and were wonderful about staying in touch and watching for any problems that might arise.”

Dru Rafkin, PCC

Sane Solutions by Dru | [email protected]

Thanks for being wonderful to work with, Dru!

Want to work on a website with us? Go ahead and contact us, because we’d love to work with you.

This entry was posted in Featured, Web Sites and tagged our clients, websites, wordpress on by Erin O'Brien.

Why iSupportU Websites Are Different

We’re not like other IT companies. We aim not only to provide matchless service to our clients but also to empower them. We think, to use a metaphor, that there’s no use building a ship for you unless we teach you how to steer it (however exceptional that ship may be).

It’s also how we approach building websites. Yes, we’ll build you a csite. Yes, we can add e-commerce and pretty much any other functionality.

But that’s true of most Boulder website providers. We think what we do is different; here’s why.

We Educate

Every website package we offer comes with a two-hour tutorial, during which you will learn everything you need to edit and manage your site. We’ll even go over the basics of blogging, so you can share your expertise with the world.

It doesn’t matter how technical you are: after these two hours you will feel in control of your website. Never again will you need to pay a web designer $100 per hour to correct a simple spelling mistake, or wait for someone unresponsive to get back in touch with you.

It’s all possible because we build our sites with WordPress. Built from the ground up for writers, not techies, WordPress is the simplest content management system out there.

Basically: if you can edit a Word document you can edit your iSuppportU website easily.

With WordPress: You’re In Control

Being easy to use isn’t the only great thing about WordPress, though: it’s also open source.

So what does that mean?

For one thing, it means WordPress can be changed to do whatever you want. You’ll find tens of thousands of themes for WordPress, and an equally staggering number of plugins for it.

Because WordPress is open source you don’t need to worry about finding support for it. There are hundreds of WordPress professionals right here in Boulder and many more around the world, meaning you can rest assured that no matter what you will be able to find someone who can help you with your site.

Of course, we can offer you support too — we’d be thrilled to help in any way we can. But it’s good to know you’re covered no matter what happens, and not all website designers can offer that.

Beautiful Sites

We take pride in making our clients’ sites look good. Don’t believe us? Check out these recent sites; we think they speak for themselves.

Check out our portfolio here.

Amazing Value

You know the old saying. Fast, affordable, and good: you can only pick two.

We beg to differ. We build sites quickly, at an affordable rate, and of the highest quality. We don’t know of a company with a lower entry rate, and that’s the way we like it.

Want to learn more? Please contact iSupportU or read more about our website services.

This entry was posted in Featured, Web Sites and tagged boulder, tools we use, websites, wordpress on by Erin O'Brien.