In this article, we will teach you how to use the WP-Optimize plugin to fully optimize your WordPress database quickly and easily. Installing the WP-Optimize plugin First, you will need to log into your WordPress dashboard. Now that you are inside your WordPress dashboard, you will need to locate the WP-Optimize plugin. To do so, Read More >
Jeff Matson
How to Hide your WordPress Admin URL with iThemes Security
Hiding your WordPress login URL is an excellent way to vastly increase the security of your site, especially from brute force attacks. In this article, we will show you how to effectively and easily change your WordPress admin URL with just a few clicks. Hiding your WordPress Admin URL First, log in to your WordPress Read More >
Creating documents in Elasticsearch
In this tutorial: Creating a document in Elasticsearch with an existing ID Creating a document in Elasticsearch without an existing ID Individual entries within Elasticsearch are referred to as documents. These documents contain various entries that relate to a single record and are stored in the appropriate index. For example, an index named customers may Read More >
Working with indexes in Elasticsearch
Indexes in Elasticsearch are collections of data that hold similar characteristics. For example, if you had an index of web hosting plans, it would contain several documents such as shared, VPS, dedicated, and reseller. Simply put, indexes allow you to group similar data together to search through those related items. In this tutorial: Listing indexes Read More >
Installing the ElasticPress plugin
When integrating Elasticsearch with WordPress, you will need a way to pass the data in WordPress over to the Elasticsearch server. Typically, this is done with a plugin such as ElasticPress. In this article, we will show you how to install the ElasticPress plugin on your WordPress site. Note: Installing the plugin alone will not Read More >
Editing your WordPress wp-config.php file
If you need to make changes to your WordPress installation, such as the site URL, database name, or many other things, you would typically do so within your wp-config.php file. If you are not familiar with the wp-config.php file, it defines the basic configuration of your WordPress site. Think of it as the basic blueprint that WordPress operates on. Read More >
Integrating Elasticsearch with WordPress using ElasticPress
If you’ve ever used Elasticsearch for managing your searchable content, you know that it is incredibly fast and scalable. If you’re a WordPress user, you likely also know that obtaining WP_Query objects can sometimes have a negaitve impact on your resource usage if you have a large database of center to search from. Thankfully, 10up Read More >
Adding a Spotify widget to WordPress with the Spotify Master Plugin
If you are a musician, you are certainly familiar with the streaming music service, Spotify and likely would want to promote your music on there. In this article, we will show you how to embed a link your Spotify profile into WordPress using the Spotify Master plugin. Installing the Spotify Master widget First, log into Read More >
WordPress Critical Security Announcement
As of today, several vulnerabilities were discovered and patched within WordPress. The most critical of these is a cross-site scripting vulnerability which allows malicious comments to be left, and when seen, can execute unauthorized code as the administrator user in versions 3.0-3.9.2. Although 4.0 is not affected by this particular vulnerability, several other vulnerabilities were Read More >
Monitoring WordPress file changes with iThemes Security
If you are running a WordPress site, one of the most important things to do is ensure that you know what is going on at all times. plugins such as Stream and WP SMS Notifications can easily notify you of changes in the WordPress admin as well as via text message, but what if you Read More >
Banning known hack sources from your WordPress site
Preventing malicious attacks before they are even attempted is often one of the best defenses against your website becoming hacked. Of course, there is no replacement for a securely developed site, but a large majority of attacks can be blocked by simply banning malicious sources from your WordPress site. In this article, we will show Read More >
Preventing WordPress brute force attacks with iThemes Security
As WordPress brute force attacks are on the rise and without any signs of slowing down, preventing brute force attacks on your WordPress site is critical to your site’s security and stability. In this article, we will show you how to use iThemes Security to easily block brute force attacks using their cloud-based database. First, Read More >
Installing the Solid Security (iThemes Security) WordPress Plugin
Solid Security, formerly known as iThemes Security, is an excellent WordPress plugin that will assist you in doing things such as protecting from brute force attacks, automatically backing up your WordPress database, and much more. In this article, we will show you how to easily install the Solid Security plugin. Now that you have successfully Read More >
The add_action WordPress function
The add_action function is arguably the most used function in WordPress. Simply put, it allows you to run a function when a particular hook occurs. In this article, we will introduce you to the add_action function and teach you how to use it in your first WordPress plugin. For example, if you wanted to add Read More >
The has_action() WordPress function
When writing a WordPress plugin or theme, you may need to check if an action hook exists before running additional code. In this article, we will show you the has_action WordPress function as well as how to use it. Usage <?php has_action( $tag, $function_to_check ) ?> Parameters The has_action function includes 2 parameters, on of Read More >
POODLE fix for Internet Explorer: Disabling SSL 3.0
Due the the recent POODLE vulnerability, users will want to fully disable SSL 3.0 support within their browsers to stay safe from attack. In this article, we will show you how to disable SSL 3.0 in Internet Explorer. In the top right on Internet Explorer, click on the settings icon. In the settings menu, click Read More >
POODLE fix for Chrome: Disabling SSL 3.0
Due to recently published vulnerabilites, you will want to disable SSL 3.0 within your web browser until a patch is fully released by Google. While you cannot globally disable SSL 3.0 within the configuration for Chrome as you can with Firefox, but you can modify the way Chrome is launched to disable SSL 3.0. In Read More >
POODLE fix for Firefox: Disabling SSL 3.0
Due to recent SSL vulnerabilities, it’s a good idea to fully protect yourself. In this article, we will show you how to disable SSL 3.0 in Firefox to protect you against the recent POODLE vulnerability. Manually disabling SSL 3.0 in Firefox In the Firefox address bar, enter about:config Confirm the warning and continue. In the Read More >
Patching for POODLE on your server – Disabling SSL 3.0
While we have fully disabled SSL 3.0 on all shared servers, VPS and dedicated customers have not been modified to prevent changes to any customer configurations that you may have. In this article, we will show you how to disable SSL 3.0 on your VPS or dedicated server. Note: You must have root access to Read More >
The POODLE SSL vulnerability
Today, a new vulnerability named POODLE (Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption) was discovered by Google security researchers Bodo Möller, Thai Duong, and Krzysztof Kotowicz. Instead of targeting the server directly as Heartbleed or ShellShock did, this exploit directly targets the clients that are visiting the sites. How is the attack executed? Individual clients are Read More >
