Security
WordPress security audit: do it yourself or outsource?
24 April 2025 · 8 min read
A WordPress security audit is a thorough analysis of all security aspects of your website. It reveals vulnerabilities, wrong configurations and potential risks that hackers can exploit. But can you do this yourself, or do you need a professional?
At WP Maintainer we perform security audits weekly for our clients. In this article we give you a complete checklist for an independent audit and show when professional help is advisable.
What is a security audit?
A security audit includes: - **Technical scan:** Searching for vulnerabilities in code, plugins and themes - **Configuration review:** Checking whether everything is set up correctly - **Access analysis:** Who has access and with which rights - **Process evaluation:** How are updates and incidents handled - **Compliance check:** Do you meet legal requirements (GDPR, etc.)
Checklist for doing it yourself
With this checklist you perform a basic audit yourself: **Hosting and server:** - Is the PHP version up to date (8.2+)? - Is there an active firewall? - Are backups automated and tested? - Is the SSL certificate valid? **WordPress configuration:** - Is WordPress updated to the latest version? - Are all plugins and themes up to date? - Is the default admin user removed? - Is two-factor authentication enabled? - Is XML-RPC disabled (if not needed)? **Access management:** - How many users have admin rights? - Are strong passwords required? - Are login attempts limited? - Is there a log of all user activities?
When to call in a professional
A professional audit is recommended when: - You have a webshop with customer data - Your website processes sensitive data - You have been hacked before - You must meet compliance requirements - You doubt your technical knowledge
WP Maintainer audit service
Our professional security audit includes: - Thorough technical scan with specialised tools - Manual code review by experienced developers - Complete report with concrete improvement suggestions - Prioritisation of found risks - Implementation of improvements - Ongoing monitoring after the audit