Quick Start Guide: Secure Your Site

Overview

Securing a WordPress site on Pressable is straightforward once you know the key steps. This guide highlights the fastest and most effective actions you can take.

What you’ll learn:

• How and why to enable Jetpack for automated security and backups
• Best practices for managing user accounts and passwords
• How to maintain plugins and themes safely
• What security measures Pressable handles automatically
• Emergency procedures for disabling problematic extensions

Use Jetpack for Security and Backups

Jetpack provides a comprehensive security suite that works seamlessly with Pressable’s infrastructure. Key features include:

• Malware scanning: Automated detection and warning for security threats
• Downtime monitoring: Alerts when your site becomes unavailable
• Automated backups: Regular snapshots of your entire site
• One-click restores: Simple recovery if something goes wrong
• Granular restores: Revert only compromised files rather than the entire site

These features help prevent issues and make recovery simple if something unexpected occurs. Jetpack is available at no cost on Pressable, so enabling Jetpack is an immediate win.

Apply User Management Best Practices

Account hygiene protects your site from unauthorized access. Follow these essential practices:

• Review administrator accounts regularly: Check your site’s administrator list and remove accounts that are no longer required
• Avoid shared credentials: Never share login information between team members; ensuring each team member has their own login allows for tracing which user took which actions via activity logging (Jetpack provides activity logging)
• Use role-based access: Add teammates with the appropriate role for their specific tasks (Editor, Author, Contributor, etc.); apply this same principle of least necessary privileges if adding collaborators to your Pressable account
• Implement login attempt limiting: Limiting login attempts to reduce brute force attempts is strongly recommended (Jetpack provides brute force protection)

These practices keep access controlled and auditable, significantly reducing your attack surface.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication and Strong Passwords

Two-factor authentication (2FA) greatly increases account security by requiring a second confirmation step during login. This means even if credentials are compromised, unauthorized access is prevented. Enable 2FA for all administrator accounts at minimum.

• WP 2FA is a reputable option to implement 2FA

Password strength is your first line of defense. Combine 2FA with strong, unique passwords for each user. Consider implementing a password manager plugin to enforce a password policy with a minimum strength requirement . This combination minimizes credential-based attacks effectively.

• Password Policy Manager is a reputable option to enforce strong passwords

Perform Regular Plugin Audits and Updates

Outdated or abandoned plugins are a common source of security problems. Establish a consistent maintenance schedule:

Quarterly plugin audits:

• Review all installed plugins and themes
• Remove anything unnecessary or no longer actively maintained
• Remove premium plugins for which you no longer have an active license/subscription
• Check for alternatives if critical plugins haven’t been updated in 6+ months

Monthly updates:

• Update all themes and plugins at least once per month
• Test updates on a staging site when possible before applying to production
• Review plugin and theme update changelogs for security fixes or breaking changes

Regular maintenance prevents vulnerabilities from accumulating and keeps your site running smoothly.

Understand Pressable Security Layers

Pressable includes multiple security and caching layers that protect your site behind the scenes. Understanding what’s already handled helps you focus your efforts appropriately.

What Pressable handles automatically:

• Web application firewall (WAF) and DDoS protection
• Server-level security patches and updates
• Built-in caching layers (object cache, edge cache, page cache)
• Network firewall rules and port management
• NGINX server configuration and hardening
• SSL certificate management
• WordPress core patches and updates

What requires your attention:

• WordPress plugin and theme updates
• User account management and access control
• Password policies and two-factor authentication
• Plugin security audits and removal of risky extensions
• Content-level security (forms, user input validation, etc.)

Become familiar with the platform documentation to recognize which security tasks are managed for you and which require active maintenance.

Disable Risky Plugins or Themes Safely

If a plugin or theme causes errors or compromises security, you can deactivate it without needing to access the WordPress dashboard. This is critical when a problematic extension locks you out or breaks the admin interface.

Methods for emergency deactivation:

1. MyPressable Control Panel: Use the control panel to access and disable plugins or themes (WordPress –> Plugins or WordPress –> Themes menus)
2. SFTP: Connect via SFTP and rename the directory in /wp-content/plugins/ or /wp-content/themes/
3. WP CLI: Connect via SSH and run commands like wp plugin deactivate plugin-name or wp theme deactivate theme-name (See our guide on How to Use WP CLI)

Renaming the extension directory (for example, changing /wp-content/plugins/problematic-plugin/ to /wp-content/plugins/problematic-plugin-disabled/) effectively disables it without deletion. This gives you a safe recovery path even when the site is completely inaccessible.

Conclusion

Following the steps in this guide will strengthen your site’s security quickly without adjusting server configuration. Pressable’s managed environment handles many layers automatically, so focusing on account management, updates, backups, and safe plugin practices yields the greatest impact. Implement these practices today to protect your site and maintain peace of mind.