Building a secure WordPress website with plugins
Lindén, Tuomas (2019)
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019112221915
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019112221915
Tiivistelmä
The aim of this practice-based thesis was to identify the best and most secure WordPress plugins for specific areas of web-security. The findings in this thesis are meant for small companies or individuals who want to set up their own website using the powerful WordPress Content Management System, and to help them identify and implement all the essential aspects of web-security.
The theoretical section investigates what is needed in the core setup of WordPress in order to have a plugin ready platform in which to continue development and the desired functionalities of the plugins that are supposed to improve the individual areas of web-security. The best plugin for each category will be determined by testing it in a local test environment and by comparing it to other plugins of same nature. The comparisons will result in a summary that compresses these findings and determines the best plugin for a new WordPress user.
In the end I was able to identify the best plugins for each of the categories. The test cases showed that there can be major differences in the user experiences of these plugins even when they are meant to do the same things. Some plugins may need extensive customization by programming and is therefore not suitable for an inexperienced user, even if a higher standard of security may be achieved.
The theoretical section investigates what is needed in the core setup of WordPress in order to have a plugin ready platform in which to continue development and the desired functionalities of the plugins that are supposed to improve the individual areas of web-security. The best plugin for each category will be determined by testing it in a local test environment and by comparing it to other plugins of same nature. The comparisons will result in a summary that compresses these findings and determines the best plugin for a new WordPress user.
In the end I was able to identify the best plugins for each of the categories. The test cases showed that there can be major differences in the user experiences of these plugins even when they are meant to do the same things. Some plugins may need extensive customization by programming and is therefore not suitable for an inexperienced user, even if a higher standard of security may be achieved.