WordPress plugins are powerful tools for improving the performance and functions of your website. However, not all plugins are created the same, and some can be major risks to your site’s security, performance, and overall integrity. In this article, we’ll look at quick tips to help you avoid dangerous WordPress plugins quickly and effectively.
The biggest and most powerful feature that WordPress provides is a huge number of options for plugins. Thousands of WordPress plugins are available for free and for a premium cost.
These plugins are responsible for enhancing the functionality of your website. Plus you can use these plugins to customize the look and feel of your website in the way you want without knowing the technical code.
But somehow, somewhere plugin is also considered a weak point of WordPress. Outdated plugins, and unsecured code, result in most websites getting hacked. You will need to take care of your website if you are using too many plugins on your website.
Plus you might face maintenance problems such as problem in theme breaks, the problem in plugin compatibility, and technical issues on the website.
If you are a WordPress developer or a website owner you should keep your plugins updated and installed properly. Some points are listed below that will help you to avoid dangerous WordPress plugins.
Table of Contents
1. Before Installing New Plugins Just Examine Them First
As you know WordPress is an open-source platform which means anyone can easily install WordPress plus anyone can create WordPress plugins very easily.
This is the main reason why WordPress has thousands of plugins. Plus you will find that there are multiple choices for a single functionality.
But its developers choose which kind of plugin they prefer to give a look and feel as per their client’s need.
Therefore it becomes important to check every plugin that fulfills your needs or not. Examine your WordPress plugins before installing them on your website to avoid dangerous WordPress plugins.
* How many active installations have been done until now?
* Do plugins have good reviews?
* What is the last date of updating?
* The plugin is supported with the latest WordPress version or not?
* Does this plugin provide answers to customer queries through forum support or not?
Suppose you found a plugin that will suit your requirement but it has fewer reviews and few installations then you should ignore such type of plugin. You should also avoid such dangerous WordPress plugins if it was updated a few months ago.
If you find that the plugin has many support items on the plugin page it means the developer has given up the plugin. If you encountered this type of issue it means a developer has not responded to the customer queries for a longer time.
Even it will seem like the developer is not interested at all in updating the plugin. This means if you add this plugin to your website you will get too many issues even if you will face page loading problems.
If you are looking for a new brand plugin you should verify the developer’s site before getting that plugin on your website.
2. Maintain the Plugin List that is Rejected
You will find several plugins in WordPress.org that are not in use for your business website. So, you should make sure to keep an eye on such plugins to avoid future problems.
Especially if you are new in the development field or if you have hired a WordPress developer team then you should try to manage your website properly.
You should also check whether you have chosen a good hosting provider company. Because these hosting companies make sure to disallow such plugins which are not in use. This will not allow plugins that can minimize the website loading speed and the performance of your website.
Before choosing any hosting provider make sure to check if they provide more powerful features or not, for example, a managed WordPress hosting platform gives you a security and backup facility.
Try to install fewer plugins to make your website performance better and to avoid dangerous WordPress plugins and vulnerabilities.
Before deciding to download any plugin a developer should review the plugins and then configure it on their WordPress website. The few steps listed above are very crucial to check if the plugin is in use or not.
3. Update the Plugins Monthly
It is important to keep your website updated and maintained. In the same way, plugins can be updated by solving the queries and problems that were present in the previous code.
The WordPress community or third-party developers make sure to add some new functionality to the previous version. This updated version also results in solving the security problem.
Suppose you have installed the plugin and your website is running smoothly but if the new updates are available for the same plugin but if you are ignoring it you might be facing lots of problems in the future.
Your website could face a huge problem with security. Therefore it is the best option to update the plugin with all new updates to make your website run smoothly and effectively.
4. Track on WordPress Vulnerabilities
The main target of hackers is WordPress because it is an open-source platform that is available free of cost. Thousands and millions of people are using the WordPress platform to showcase their online presence on the internet. Therefore WordPress has a high number of chances of being hacked.
In the same way, if you use outdated plugins your chances of getting hacked will increase. To avoid such a hacking problem you should update the plugin.
WPScan vulnerability database is the best tool to check security issues. This plugin is useful and keeps track of your WordPress themes, and plugins if there are any security problems. If this tool finds any plugin or a theme has a problem you should uninstall that plugin and theme and try to add a new one.
5. Update to the Latest PHP
Every month PHP comes with new updates and released. If you are running an old version of PHP on your website, then your website may be at high risk.
This is because PHP is a server-side programming language. If a hacker succeeds in finding your PHP to be an outdated version it will hack your website and will run unwanted code. Therefore make sure to update your PHP code to the latest code.
Conclusion:
The key points listed above might take time to work but that is the most essential factor that should be considered in high demand.
With the latest theme, plugin, and code updates you can take your business to the next level. Try to avoid dangerous WordPress plugins which will result in high search engine and user traffic.
