What happens on the server?
To keep your WordPress website secure, it’s essential to monitor what’s happening at the file level. Having a clear overview of all activities on the server ensures that hackers have no chance, and you can take action before Google, Adwords, and other sources block your website.
Let’s provide a brief explanation of these terms and how they work:
WordPress at the File Level
WordPress consists of various components on the server to function fully. This includes the administration panel, which resides on the server, as well as the display of your theme, homepage, registration pages, and more. If hackers can manipulate these files, they can accomplish a lot—such as obtaining customer data, login credentials, or redirecting visitors to their own sites.
Overview of Activities
As if that’s not bad enough, they can also add a file to send emails via your website using your address! Having such a file on your server is something you definitely want to avoid. Therefore, knowing the activities taking place on your server is crucial.
How to Monitor Server Activities
If you are a keyboard enthusiast like us, you can use an FTP program to access the server or use the file manager of Directadmin/Cpanel.
However, there’s an easier way!
With this security plugin: Website File Changes Monitor* for WordPress, you can see what’s happening on your server. The plugin is relatively new at the time of writing and is free to use.
*In the past, we recommended iThemes Security, but it has been showing too few changes in the logs in recent months..