Every year there are more and more various hacking attacks on sites. They could be looking to steal valuable data or simply stop a site from working. People running the sites will tell you how much emphasis they must put on security to ensure these attacks aren’t successful.
Because WordPress-based sites are the most common around, it’s safe to say they are the most at risk because of the underlying similarities between them that make the hacker’s job easier. One of the ways to raise your protection level is by using a VPN of some sort – VPN by Surfshark is a great example.
What is a VPN
Virtual Private Network, or VPN is a software that adds an encrypted connection “between” your device and the ISP (Internet Service Provider). Let’s explain it without getting too technical. When you connect your device to a network (most commonly a private or public Wi-Fi) your IP address is visible and, if the network isn’t sufficiently protected, can be attacked. By using a VPN your IP address is masked and the VPN instead shows the IP address of the private server you’re connected to.
This process boosts your security because your IP address can’t be targeted directly anymore from the outside (except if someone has it already). Instead, any potential attack is “forwarded” to the private server which is designed to repel such attempts.
As a bonus, because of the encryption, your traffic is hidden, and you can alter your IP address to access content restricted by geolocation. These won’t help with security but are great quality-of-life tidbits.
What is a DDoS Attack
A DDoS or Distributed Denial of Service attack is an attack that aims to make a targeted site or service crash/become unavailable to the public. It does so by flooding the server(s) with a massive number of fake requests that overload the server and occupy the bandwidth making the site run slowly at first and later crash completely.
It’s important to note the difference between a DoS (Denial of Service) and a DDoS attack because people tend to mix the two up. The difference is in the number of sources that are used for the attack. A DoS attack is carried on from a single device severely limiting the potential damage it can cause, whereas a DDoS uses numerous devices to attack on a much larger scale.
To obtain such a large number of devices to make a coordinated attack, hackers use so-called bots. Bots are devices infected by malware that surrender control of the device to the hacker, more often than not, unbeknownst to the original user. All these bots are connected to a network that’s controlled remotely creating a “botnet”. The hacker then uses a central C&C (Command and Control) server to coordinate all the bots into overloading traffic limitations of their target(s).
How a VPN Can Boost Security for a WordPress Site
As we’ve already mentioned, a VPN masks your IP address, hides your history, and encrypts your device. This is equally important for the person browsing the site on the frontend and the person managing the site on the backend. Rerouting the attack, however, is much more important for the backend side.
When a hacker sends a DDoS attack towards your site that has VPN activated, because of the masked IP address, the attack is directed toward your VPN provider. They are much better equipped to handle such attacks, with advanced security features that detect malware within incoming requests and shut them down immediately.
Features to look for in a VPN
Because security is such an important factor on the web, there’s a plethora of solutions on the market. Some of the main characteristics or features you’ll want to look for in a VPN are:
- Security –every VPN will boost your security, but some will do so better than others. Look for options that provide a multitude of advanced features like malware, tracker, and ad detection and blocking.
- Privacy – read the fine print and choose an option that doesn’t store your data. The key phrase you’re looking for is “no log policy” – everything you do on the web, that goes through the VPN gets deleted.
- Servers – try to find a VPN that has servers all over the world. You’ll usually choose which server to connect to and the one physically closest to you will offer the best speeds. On the other hand, because of imposed restrictions, you’ll sometimes want to connect to servers located abroad. The key is to have choices.
- Speed – every VPN will negatively affect the speed of your site but find one that has detailed numbers (at least in ranges) about it and look for the lowest ones.
- Kill switch – when all else fails, and if an attack does somehow get through a VPN should have an automatic and/or manual kill switch that disconnects everything and saves data corruption, deletion, and/or leaking.
Drawbacks of a VPN
As a security measure, VPNs are superb, they’re easy to set up, usually automatically maintained, and offer great protection. However, even they have some drawbacks.
A VPN prevents attacks by masking your IP address, but if an attacker knows your IP address beforehand, masking it doesn’t do much. This is especially problematic for static IP addresses that companies usually have.
If you’re under attack already, a VPN won’t help at all, it’s not an antivirus system. A VPN acts as a measure of prevention, activate it before any attacks, keep it running, and you’ll be safe. Activate it when an attack is underway, and nothing will come of it.
You need to keep the VPN activated 24/7 for optimal protection. If, for any reason, the connection is lost, you’ll be left exposed. It is worth noting, however, that VPN services tend to have a backup in place for these situations, but always check to be sure.
Conclusion
Running a secure site is not easy and you’ll need a layered approach to security so you can cover everything; there isn’t an all-in-one solution, no matter what certain ads would want you to believe. A VPN should be a core security measure of every site because it offers protection against the most used attack methods by hackers today. We could say it casts a wide net of protection. Just be sure to get yourself a solution that fits your needs.
