WordPress Security Checklist 2025: 50 Steps to a Bulletproof Website

This WordPress security checklist 2025 covers everything you need to secure a WordPress site against modern threats. Work through these 50 steps systematically to achieve a strong security posture. Each item is actionable and prioritized.

Category 1: Login Security (Steps 1-10)

1. Change the default /wp-admin URL — Use WPS Hide Login to move your login page from the predictable /wp-login.php to a custom URL, eliminating automated attacks.

2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) — Use an authenticator app for all admin and editor accounts. This single step is your most impactful security improvement.

3. Limit login attempts — Configure lockout after 5 failed attempts:

# fail2ban jail configuration
[wordpress]
enabled = true
maxretry = 5
bantime = 3600

4. Enforce strong password policy — Minimum 16 characters with uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols required.

5. Disable login hints — Prevent WordPress from revealing "wrong username" vs "wrong password":

add_filter('login_errors', function() { return 'Invalid credentials.'; });

6. Restrict admin login by IP — If you access from consistent IP addresses, whitelist them in .htaccess.

7. Remove the admin username — Create a new admin with a non-obvious username, then delete the original. Every brute force attack targets "admin."

8. Disable user enumeration — Block REST API user listing and redirect author archive pages.

9. Use application passwords for API access — For REST API integrations, use WordPress Application Passwords instead of your main admin password.

10. Log all login activity — Record all attempts with IP addresses and timestamps.

Category 2: Updates and Patches (Steps 11-16)

11. Enable automatic core security updates:

define('WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', 'minor');

12-13. Update all plugins and themes immediately — Apply all pending updates at minimum weekly.

14-15. Remove unused plugins and themes — Delete (don't just deactivate) anything not actively used.

16. Subscribe to CVE alerts — SecureCheap automatically monitors for new vulnerabilities affecting your installed plugins.

Category 3: File System Security (Steps 17-24)

17. Set correct file permissions:

find /var/www/html -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;
find /var/www/html -type f -exec chmod 644 {} ;
chmod 600 /var/www/html/wp-config.php

18-19. Protect wp-config.php and disable directory browsing: Options -Indexes

20. Block sensitive file access via FilesMatch in .htaccess.

21. Disable PHP execution in uploads:

<Directory /var/www/html/wp-content/uploads>
    php_flag engine off
</Directory>

22. Disable file editing from admin:

define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);
define('DISALLOW_FILE_MODS', true);

23. Move wp-config.php one directory above the web root.

24. Implement file integrity monitoring — alert on core file modifications.

Category 4: Database Security (Steps 25-29)

25. Change the database prefix from default wp_ to a random string.

26. Limit database user privileges — only SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE. No DROP, ALTER, or FILE privileges.

27-28. Regular automated backups + sanitize all database inputs using wpdb prepared statements.

29. Enable query logging in staging to catch slow/suspicious queries.

Category 5: Server Security (Steps 30-35)

30. Use a reputable managed WordPress host.

31. Use PHP 8.2+ — older versions have no security patches.

32. Enable a Web Application Firewall.

33. Configure SSL/TLS correctly — force HTTPS, TLS 1.2+, HSTS.

34. Disable XML-RPC:

<Files xmlrpc.php>
    Order deny,allow
    Deny from all
</Files>

35. Limit REST API access for unauthenticated users.

Category 6: Security Headers (Steps 36-40)

36. Add Content Security Policy (CSP).

37. Enable HSTS: Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload

38. Set X-Frame-Options: X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN

39. Add X-Content-Type-Options: X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff

40. Configure Referrer-Policy: Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin

Category 7: Monitoring and Incident Response (Steps 41-50)

41. Set up uptime monitoring — SecureCheap provides 60-second interval monitoring. Free plan includes 3 monitors.

42. Schedule weekly malware scans.

43. Keep WP_DEBUG false in production.

44. Implement error tracking — SecureCheap includes error tracking to catch application anomalies.

45. Run regular security scans with the SecureCheap Scanner.

46. Configure automated daily backups with off-site storage.

47. Document your incident response plan before an incident happens.

48. Test backup restoration quarterly — an untested backup may not work.

49. Conduct a quarterly security review using this checklist to catch configuration drift.

50. Stay informed — subscribe to WPScan Vulnerability Database, WordPress Security Blog, and the SecureCheap Blog.

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