Last Updated on October 5, 2024 by Sunny Staff
WordPress remains the most popular Content Management System (CMS), powering over 40% of all websites. However, its widespread usage also makes it a prime target for cyberattacks. Agencies managing multiple client sites are under constant pressure to maintain security, often with limited resources. WordPress Maintenance from SunnyHQ provides the specialized expertise and proactive management to keep your clients’ websites secure and performing optimally.
The Growing Threat Landscape
In 2023, plugins and themes continued to dominate the WordPress vulnerability landscape. A report from PatchStack shows that plugins were responsible for 96.77% of all reported vulnerabilities, with themes and the WordPress core contributing to smaller percentages. The most common vulnerabilities include Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), Broken Access Control, SQL Injection, and Sensitive Data Exposure.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): With XSS an attacker can inject malicious scripts into a website. These scripts can be used to help attackers achieve their goals, such as redirecting traffic, stealing valuable or sensitive information, or giving an attacker control over a WordPress website.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): CSRF is a vulnerability where an authenticated user knowingly or unknowingly submits unauthorized commands. Examples include triggering a change of email address, changing a password, transferring funds, etc.
Broken Access Control: Broken Access Control occurs when an application fails to properly enforce authentication and/or authorization. Users can then access resources, data, or functionalities for which they do not have clearance.
SQL Injection: A SQL injection is an attack where a SQL query is ‘injected’ into the application or website. This typically occurs via a form field and allows attackers to read and write to the database, execute administrative operations, or even issue commands to the operating system.
Sensitive Data Exposure: Sensitive data exposure, as the name suggests, refers to the often unintentional exposure of private or sensitive data. Examples include exposure of user credentials or personal data and payment information. This type of vulnerability occurs when there are inadequate encryption or access controls, when vulnerable APIs are used, or when unencrypted storage is used for this sensitive information.
Other vulnerabilities include Arbitrary File Upload, Privilege Escalation, and more. Websites affected by these or other vulnerabilities risk data theft, unauthorized access, or website defacement.
Also read: Essential WordPress Security Tips Every Site Owner Should Know
Why Agencies Are More Vulnerable
The consequences of these risks are amplified for the agency that manages multiple client sites, with reputational damage, operational disruption, and loss of revenue among the consequences to your agency and potentially even your clients.
The greater the number of client sites being managed, the greater the risk of security oversights. Without proper security protocols in place or being enforced, there’s greater potential for a breach that could result in reputational damage and client attrition.
Moreover, clients expect their agencies to maintain a secure online presence. Failure to do so can lead to significant financial and reputational consequences. For instance, following Target’s infamous 2013 data breach, the brand’s consumer perception dropped by 54.6%, and its share value decreased by 1.5%. With 83% of U.S. consumers stating they would stop spending with a brand after a security incident, agencies cannot afford to overlook the importance of website security.
Also read: Crafting a Memorable Brand Identity for Your WordPress Website
Managed WordPress Hosting: The 2-in-1 Game Changer
For the last few years, the managed services industry has grown rapidly. In 2022, according to this SkyQuest report, it was valued at $242.9 billion and is set to reach $519.57 billion by 2031. Managed services include security services, managed network services, data center and IT infrastructure services, communication & collaboration services, mobility services, and information services.
Cyber security is among the key drivers of growth in the managed services sector. This specifically relates to the increased complexity and frequency of attacks. The reasoning here is that MSPs possess the specialization required to deliver managed security which includes monitoring, incident response, and compliance management.
Cost efficiency and operational savings as well as a desire for more opportunity to focus on core competencies are also drivers for the growth of the managed services market. Where cost efficiency and operational savings relate to a reduced need to hire, train, and maintain in-house IT teams, businesses are increasingly looking to “focus on their core business activities and innovations rather than managing IT infrastructure and day-to-day operations.”
In both cases, MSPs assume responsibility for the maintenance, support, and optimization of IT systems.
Managed WordPress hosting ticks all these boxes. The challenge, however, is finding an effective combination of hosting service provider and WordPress Management service.
Also read: The Complete Guide to Choosing a WordPress Maintenance Agency
Specialized WordPress security
Choosing the right hosting provider is about more than uptime or performance – it’s about taking steps capable of thwarting attacks before your clients’ sites are impacted. Real-time monitoring and DDoS protection, for example, can prevent breaches before they happen. By choosing a host that prioritizes security, you minimize vulnerabilities, safeguard sensitive data, and protect your reputation as a secure and trustworthy business.
Service providers that specialize in WordPress hosting have added security features that protect your clients’ sites from attacks commonly aimed at WordPress sites. Some of these include:
Proactive 24/7 monitoring
This refers to continuous surveillance of client websites to detect and respond to threats in real-time. It focuses on identifying anomalies, such as unauthorized login attempts, malware injections, or changes to files, all of which can indicate potential security breaches. With proactive monitoring, managed WordPress security teams can intervene immediately, preventing incidents like data theft, site defacement, or service disruptions.
24/7 monitoring also includes automated patching, vulnerability scanning, and uptime checks. These ensure that ongoing vulnerabilities, such as outdated plugins or weak configurations, are addressed before they can be exploited.
VM Isolation & sandboxing
Where websites are hosted on virtual machines, VM isolation keeps the website or app in its own separate virtual environment. It’s an effective strategy that prevents a compromised site from affecting others on the same server.
Sandboxing creates an isolated environment within a virtual machine where code can be executed without affecting the rest of the system.
Regular Security Audits
A security audit is a systematic check of a website for known vulnerabilities. The depth of the check depends on the service offered by the hosting service provider, and the level of consent given.
A superficial security audit might scan the website’s file structure for file names that are known to contain malware or malicious code. The scanning depth can be increased to scan through files, or even through the entire database. Such audits can uncover potential vulnerabilities such as outdated plugins, misconfigurations, or missing patches.
SSL Certificates
An SSL Certificate encrypts data transmitted between the user’s browser and the server. This obscures sensitive information such as login credentials, payment details, or other personal information.
SSL enhances security and builds trust between websites and their visitors. Nowadays, however, it’s far from being a novelty; consumers expect hosting service providers to include SSL certificates with web hosting packages – an easy feat since some Certificate Authorities (CAs) provide Domain Validation (DV) certificates for free. (With DV certificates you only have to prove that you have control over the domain. Learn more about domain validation levels.)
Firewalls
Firewalls have been around for a while, but that doesn’t mean they can be employed in a specialized manner to offer protection specific to WordPress sites. This can range from protection against common attacks like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and brute force attacks.
When a firewall is employed by the hosting service provider, traffic is filtered before it reaches the WordPress website. This makes it also ideal for blocking malicious IP addresses, protecting against file upload exploits (either by file type or file integrity), blocking XML-RPC attacks, and preventing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
24/7 Support and Rapid Response
Given the rising sophistication and frequency of attacks, an incident response protocol is crucial for every website – it determines how potential attacks or breaches are handled. Professional maintenance services typically offer round-the-clock support and have established processes for rapid response to issues. This ensures that any problems that arise are quickly addressed. It also slashes the risk of prolonged downtime or unresolved issues that could reflect poorly on the agency.
Security in action
Protection against SQL injection: In practice, this can mean using a Web Application Firewall to filter for malicious traffic, such as a SQL injection attack. Hosts can also set up filters at the network or application layer to scan and sanitize requests to prevent SQL injection payloads from reaching the database, even if a vulnerable plugin is still in use.
Protection against broken access controls: Some hosting service providers can even help protect against Broken Access Control vulnerabilities without ever touching the client site. This can be achieved by using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that can enforce access control rules by blocking unauthorized requests, or IP whitelisting where the service provider allows access to sensitive areas of a WordPress website only from trusted IP addresses. These are two of several methods that can be used to protect your client sites.
The Payoff: Happy Clients Are Long-term Clients
Securing a WordPress site and keeping it safe is only one half of the equation. For agencies that move their clients over to professional WordPress maintenance, there are other benefits too, like 24/7 WordPress maintenance and support, client content updates, and so on – everything needed to lighten your load so that you can focus on your core business.
The reward is notable, and includes better client retention, a reputation that’s easy to nurture, reduced risk, and the freedom to scale without incurring a lot of overhead.
Enhanced Client Trust and Retention
When client sites are consistently fast, secure, and well-maintained it increases trust between you and the client, and also boosts retention rates. A secure site boosts a client’s confidence in the your ability to manage their digital assets effectively, reducing churn.
Improved Reputation Management
Given that 83% of consumers would stop doing business with a brand following a security incident (see above), it stands to reason that offering secure WordPress sites – and delivering on that promise – will enhance the agency’s reputation.
Partnering with a professional WordPress maintenance service demonstrates expertise and ensures that the agency is seen as a reliable partner, which is vital for attracting new clients and maintaining a positive industry standing.
Operational Efficiency
As mentioned above, when someone else is taking care of the routine tasks and 24/7 security, it’s easier to devote yourself exclusively to your core competencies, be it design, development, or marketing. This allows you to allocate your internal resources more efficiently.
Easy scaling, reduced overhead
For many agencies the problem becomes more real as they grow; with more WordPress sites requiring upkeep and constant monitoring, internal teams find it increasingly harder to juggle between their core competencies and maintaining client websites.
With professional WordPress maintenance, scaling upward is easy. Now you can support more clients without spreading your internal teams too thin, and you don’t have to go through the entire hiring process or invest in new infrastructure.
Compliance and legal protection
Many professional WordPress maintenance services ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR, CCPA, or PCI-DSS. This removes the technical burden from your internal teams and helps you avoid legal pitfalls and fines that may result from non-compliance.
Conclusion
In days gone by agencies could get away with being jacks of all trades. After all, it meant a few extra dollars of revenue. Today, however, especially with increased competition, the proliferation of online threats, and a healthy managed services industry, specialization is not only fashionable, but it also helps businesses like yours stay ahead of the competition.
The security of WordPress websites can no longer be treated as an afterthought – when you manage multiple client WordPress sites you face amplified risks, from data breaches to reputational damage. By partnering with a professional WordPress maintenance service like SunnyHQ, you can safeguard your clients’ websites.
Not only does this diminish your risk, but it gives your internal teams the headspace and time needed to focus on their core competencies. You’ll enjoy enhanced client trust and long-term retention, improved operational efficiency, and legal compliance.
Make things a little easier on yourself and let SunnyHQ keep your clients’ sites fast, well-maintained, and secure with WordPress Management for Agencies.
