Infinite Networks provides a maintenance package that is specifically designed for Wordpress. The maintenance package includes all the missing pieces that Wordpress doesn't have so that you can be sure that your website is well protected and has a backup plan in case things go wrong. The CMS Maintenance Package includes;
Wordpress Core and Security Updates
CMS's or Content Management Systems are frameworks that a website can be built on so that content elements such as pages, posts, menus can easily be edited through an interface that requires a username and password. This means that a non-technical user is able to rapidly change, add or delete the content through the website - this requires very limit knowledge on how to build a website.
The same things that make a CMS great also provide a rather large security vulnerability that needs to be constantly patched as technologies develop and new malicious scripts appear. If a CMS isn't updated regularly then the website might be compromised by intruders wishing to cause havoc by injecting advertisement, sending SPAM emails from your website or simply posting vulgar content.
A Wordpress website would need to receive regular updates for three areas of itself:
- Core - The Wordpress Core is fundamentally the CMS abilities or functionality such as the interface to make changes, the media gallery etc.
- Themes - Each Wordpress website must have a theme in order to work. A theme is basically a list of files that informs Wordpress core on how the website should look like, structured, what should be included.
- Plugins - Plugins are like tiny little scripts, snippets or programs that can be used throughout the website in order to add further styling or functionality (in most cases).
Infinite Network's CMS Maintenance package performs weekly updates on your CMS. These updates include the CMS's core updates and any available updates for plugins and themes. We perform regular backups and we always initiate a backup prior to any updates. This means that if something breaks then we can always return the website back to the way it was. Infinite Networks also regularly scans the CMS for any malicious code or injections into the website.
Website Firewall
We use a service known as WordFence which is a Web Application Firewall service and is configured to protect the website from common attacks such as Cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL Injections (to name a few). It also has the ability to audit user activity include lockout periods for bad credentials. We set up and configure the Web Application Firewall to integrate with the website, in order to protect it from common threats like DOS/DDOS Attacks, Cross-Site Scripting, and SQL Injections. We also configure the WAF to block and unnecessary country's, track user activity and enable strong user authentication procedures such as user block outs.
Website Uptime Monitoring
We actively monitoring if the website is up but we also monitor if the website has crashed and we are directly notified when this occurs so that we can investigate with a rapid response. We have found this is important because often the first person to tell you that your website is down is a potential lead, customer or client which makes your actions reactive rather than a proactive.
Our CMS Maintenance Package is $99.00 per month based on a single website.
Frequently (sort of) Asked Questions
Q1: How regularly are the scans performed? Are the scan times configurable? The free WordFence emails us alerts when malicious website code is detected, and we’re pretty diligent with monitoring, repairing and applying updates ourselves during business hours.
A1: We schedule in a scan once a week and it’s usually in the early hours of the morning. The scans are intensive so we stagger them across different time if clients are on the same shared server. The scans are configurable but we use a custom scan that is in between the recommend scan and a highly sensitive scan.
Q2: Are you scanning inside the databases for malicious content (redirectors, comment spam, etc) as well as the php files?
A2: Yes – Wordfence performs this task automatically.
Q3: What actions are taken when malicious content is found? Specifically, is there any investigation to identify and disable the vulnerable object (theme, plugin, core feature) in the event there is a delay between exploitation and patch?
A3: We definitely conduct an investigation into the malicious activity to find out what has happened. The next steps would depend on what has occurred or been infected – the steps below are some examples of what we do (but not limited to);
- If we can safely turn off a feature (plugin etc) and fix the issue then we will do so.
- If we can determine that the problem has happened recently then we can restore a previous clean version of the website.
- If we can simply remove the code from the website so that the website isn't infected then we will do so then proceed with creating a permanent fix for the website.
Q4: If (for example) a php shell exploit is detected, are there any checks to see if the database has been remotely accessed/copied? Is any assessment undertaken to discover whether or not mandatory breach notification applies!?
A4. There is no way to tell how a PHP shell has been used. If we found one then we would say that mandatory breach notifications apply.
Q5: Does the service rely on WordFence Pro to auto clean up and notify or is there an actual person reviewing and deciding how to clean up? Can you give more details or perhaps an example of notifications? I’ve seen the free WordFence notifications, as we get those now.
A5: There is always a real person reviewing it. The pro notifications are the same as the free notifications. The advantages of Wordfence Pro are the ability to schedule scans, and an up-to-date firewall that stops known attacks before they ever reach WordPress.
Q6: Can you give us more information about the backup regime and how it works?
A6: Snapshots are taken every morning (early hours). Daily snapshots are retained for 10 days and Monthly snapshots are retained for 6 months.