A WordPress security checklist is not glamorous, but it beats the moment your checkout stops working and you learn about it from a customer. We have seen it happen: one “minor” plugin update gets skipped, one old admin account stays active, and a bot finds the gap at 2:14 a.m.
Quick answer: start with scope, access, and verified backups, then lock down logins, patch what you run, harden the basics, protect customer data, and set up monitoring plus a simple incident plan. Thirty focused minutes will not make you bulletproof, but it will remove the most common, high-impact risks.
Key Takeaways
- Start your WordPress security checklist by defining what “can’t break” (checkout, forms, logins), auditing admin users, and identifying your highest-risk site features.
- Create a verified, off-site backup and a simple rollback note, because a backup you can’t restore won’t save your site during an incident.
- Lock down access with one-person logins, least-privilege roles, strong unique passwords, and 2FA plus login rate limiting to stop credential and bot attacks.
- Reduce your biggest risk by patching WordPress core, plugins, and themes on a safe rhythm (backup, stage, update off-hours, then smoke-test critical flows) and deleting anything unused.
- Harden the basics with correct file permissions, disabled file editing, protected wp-config.php, and a WAF with rate limiting to block common footholds before WordPress handles them.
- Protect customer data by minimizing form collection, enforcing HTTPS everywhere, tightening who can view submissions, securing WooCommerce checkout, and setting up monitoring with a short incident checklist (contain, restore, reset, review, report).
Before You Touch Any Tools: Scope, Access, And Backups
Security work goes sideways when people skip the boring step: defining what “safe” means for your site. Scope -> prevents -> accidental outages. Backups -> enable -> fast rollback.
Confirm What You Are Protecting (Site Type, Admin Users, Critical Flows)
Start by naming the stakes in plain English:
- Site type -> changes -> security priority. A brochure site has different risks than WooCommerce.
- Admin list -> affects -> breach impact. Fewer admins means fewer targets.
- Critical flows -> protect -> revenue and trust.
Make a quick inventory:
- What is this site? Lead-gen, membership, WooCommerce, LMS, bookings, portal, or content-only.
- Who has admin access today? List every admin, editor, and shop manager. Remove “temporary” accounts that became permanent.
- What can never break? Examples: checkout, contact form, login, booking calendar, client portal, email deliverability.
If you want a repeatable rhythm for this, our maintenance checklist pairs well with security because it forces you to track users, plugins, and changes over time. We lay that out in our guide to keeping WordPress maintained without living in your dashboard.
Create A Verified Backup And A Rollback Plan
A backup that you cannot restore is a comforting myth.
Here is a safe baseline:
- Backup -> protects -> your ability to recover.
- Off-site copy -> reduces -> hosting account risk.
Do this in order:
- Create a full backup (files + database).
- Store it off-site (separate storage account from your hosting login).
- Verify it by doing a test restore in a staging site, or at least confirming the archive and database export are complete.
- Write a rollback note: “If update X breaks checkout, we restore backup Y from date/time Z.” Keep it in the same place your team can find during a bad day.
Next steps: once you know you can roll back, you can make changes without sweating through your shirt.
Lock Down Logins And Admin Access
Login security -> blocks -> the easiest attacks. And most WordPress attacks start with credential guessing, password reuse, or an old account nobody remembers.
Enforce Strong Passwords, Unique Accounts, And Least Privilege
Do not share logins. Do not reuse passwords. Yes, we know it is annoying.
Use this rule set:
- Unique accounts -> improve -> auditability.
- Least privilege -> limits -> damage.
Checklist:
- One person, one account. No “admin/admin” shared login.
- Use a password manager and require long, unique passwords.
- Remove unused admins and downgrade roles. Most people do not need Administrator.
- Change the default admin username if you still have it.
If you work with contractors, give them access that matches the task and a clear end date. Contractor access -> increases -> risk when it lingers.
Turn On Two-Factor Authentication And Protect The Login Page
2FA -> reduces -> account takeover risk. It also reduces the damage from password reuse.
Baseline actions:
- Turn on two-factor authentication for every admin and any role that can publish or manage orders.
- Add login rate limiting to slow bots.
- Keep recovery codes in your password manager.
If you want the quick-and-clean approach without stacking five overlapping plugins, consider consolidating admin hardening features. We often point clients to our walkthrough on reducing dashboard clutter with ASE and then layering security controls only where needed.
Secure wp-admin With HTTPS, Session Controls, And Limited Access
HTTPS -> protects -> credentials in transit. Session control -> limits -> damage from a stolen browser session.
Do this:
- Force HTTPS site-wide (not just checkout).
- Set shorter session timeouts for admins.
- Restrict wp-admin access when you can (IP allowlist for office VPN, or hosting-level protection).
If your host offers separate admin logins and activity logs, turn them on. Host controls -> add -> an extra lock on the door.
Reduce The Biggest Attack Surface: Updates, Plugins, And Themes
Plugins and themes -> create -> most real-world risk for business sites. Attackers love old code because it behaves the same every time.
Patch WordPress Core, Plugins, And Themes With A Safe Update Rhythm
Updates -> fix -> known vulnerabilities. Skipped updates -> increase -> exploit odds.
A safe rhythm looks like this:
- Backup first (always).
- Update in staging when you run WooCommerce, memberships, or complex builders.
- Update in production during low-traffic hours.
- Smoke test the critical flows you listed earlier.
Auto-updates can work for low-risk plugins, but we still avoid “set it and forget it” for revenue-critical stores. Auto-update -> can cause -> surprise breakage.
Remove What You Do Not Use And Replace Risky Extensions
Unused plugins -> widen -> attack surface.
Do a quick audit:
- Delete inactive plugins and themes (do not just deactivate).
- Replace abandoned plugins (no updates in a long time, poor reviews, unclear vendor).
- Avoid “one feature” plugins when a trusted tool can cover it.
When clients ask, “How do we pick a maintenance partner that stays on top of this?” we point them to our breakdown of what good maintenance services actually include so they can compare apples to apples.
Next steps: once the plugin pile is under control, hardening becomes simpler and faster.
Harden WordPress And The Server Basics
Server settings -> affect -> WordPress security more than most people think. WordPress hardening -> reduces -> common footholds.
Set Correct File Permissions, Disable File Editing, And Protect wp-config.php
File permissions -> control -> who can change what.
Baseline permissions:
- Directories: 755
- Files: 644
- wp-config.php: 600 (when hosting allows it)
Then lock down obvious targets:
- Disable the theme and plugin file editor by adding this to wp-config.php:
define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true):- Block PHP execution in uploads if your host allows it.
- Disable directory listing.
If you run a custom theme, store secrets outside the repo and avoid hardcoding API keys in templates. Secrets in code -> lead to -> leaks.
Add A Web Application Firewall And Basic Rate Limiting
A WAF -> filters -> malicious requests before WordPress handles them. Rate limiting -> slows -> brute force and scraping.
Options you can use:
- Host-level WAF (often easiest)
- Cloud WAF (Cloudflare)
- Plugin-based protection (works, but do not stack three of them)
Also add basic HTTP security headers when possible (your host or CDN can handle this). Headers -> reduce -> browser-side attack vectors.
Next steps: once the perimeter is steadier, focus on the data your site collects and stores.
Stop Data Leaks: Forms, Payments, And Privacy Controls
Customer data -> creates -> legal and brand risk. Forms -> collect -> more data than most teams realize.
Minimize Form Data, Encrypt Transit, And Control Where Submissions Go
Data minimization -> lowers -> breach impact.
Quick checklist:
- Ask only for what you need. If you do not need a phone number, do not collect it.
- Use HTTPS on every page that includes a form.
- Limit who can view submissions in WordPress.
- Avoid emailing sensitive form content in plain text.
If you work in healthcare, legal, finance, or anything regulated, keep a human review loop and do not paste sensitive client info into third-party tools without a signed agreement. Tool sharing -> increases -> exposure.
Harden WooCommerce And Payment Flows (Accounts, Checkout, Fraud Signals)
Checkout security -> protects -> revenue.
Do these basics:
- Require strong passwords for customer accounts.
- Limit who has WooCommerce admin powers.
- Use reputable payment gateways and keep them updated.
- Turn on fraud checks offered by your gateway (AVS, CVV checks, velocity rules).
Also check what your store logs. Logs -> help -> investigations, but logs can store personal data. Keep logs minimal and protected.
Next steps: set up monitoring so you catch issues before your customers do.
Monitoring, Logging, And Incident Response
Monitoring -> shortens -> time-to-detect. Incident plans -> reduce -> panic.
Enable Security Alerts, Audit Logs, And Uptime Monitoring
Uptime monitoring -> alerts -> you when the site fails. Audit logs -> show -> who changed what.
Set this up:
- Uptime monitoring (simple external checks)
- File change alerts
- Login alerts for admins
- Audit logging for user changes, plugin installs, and settings edits
Do not drown in notifications. Alerts -> become useless when they spam you.
Create A Simple Incident Checklist (Contain, Restore, Reset, Report)
When a site gets hit, stress -> breaks -> good judgment. A written checklist -> restores -> calm.
Keep it short:
- Contain: Put the site in maintenance mode, block suspicious IPs, and stop the bleeding.
- Restore: Roll back to a clean backup in a clean environment.
- Reset: Change all passwords, rotate keys, reset WordPress salts, and review admin users.
- Review: Check plugins, themes, and server logs for the entry point.
- Report: Notify customers or regulators when required.
If you ever need to do the cleanup step-by-step, we wrote a practical guide on removing malware without making it worse. Keep it bookmarked for the day you hope never comes.
Conclusion
If you only do one thing this week, do the first two: verify backups and lock down admin access. Those two steps -> prevent -> the worst outcomes more often than people expect.
When you are ready, treat this checklist like an SOP, not a one-time project. Run it monthly, log what changed, and keep a human review loop for anything that touches payments, private client data, or legal claims. That is how business sites stay boring, in the best way.
WordPress Security Checklist FAQs
What should a WordPress security checklist include first?
Start your WordPress security checklist with scope, access, and verified backups. Identify site type, current admin users, and the critical flows that can’t break (checkout, forms, logins). Then create a full off-site backup and test-restore it so rollback is real, not theoretical.
How do I create a verified WordPress backup and rollback plan?
Make a full backup of files and database, store a copy off-site in a separate account, and verify it by restoring to staging (or validating the archive and SQL export). Add a rollback note that names the triggering change and the exact backup to restore.
How can I lock down WordPress admin access and wp-admin logins?
Use unique accounts (no shared logins), long passwords via a password manager, and least privilege so most users aren’t Administrators. Enable 2FA for admins and order managers, add login rate limiting, force HTTPS site-wide, shorten admin sessions, and restrict wp-admin by IP/VPN when possible.
What’s the safest update routine for WordPress core, plugins, and themes?
Back up first, then update in staging if you run WooCommerce or complex features. Push updates in low-traffic windows and smoke-test your critical flows (checkout, contact forms, logins). Delete inactive plugins/themes and replace abandoned extensions to shrink the attack surface and reduce repeatable exploits.
Do I need a WAF for WordPress, and what’s the best option?
A WAF is one of the highest-leverage protections because it filters malicious requests before WordPress processes them. Host-level WAFs are often simplest, cloud WAFs like Cloudflare add strong perimeter control, and plugin WAFs can work—just avoid stacking multiple security plugins that conflict.
How often should I run a WordPress security checklist for a business site?
Run a WordPress security checklist monthly as an SOP, not a one-time project. Track what changed (users, plugins, settings), verify backups, and review anything touching payments or private data. Pair monitoring (uptime, login alerts, file changes) with a short incident plan for faster response.
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