How to keep Your Blog Safe from Hackers

Introduction

Keeping your blog safe isn’t optional—it’s essential. Whether you run a personal blog or a monetized website, one successful hack can wipe your content, steal your audience’s trust, and even jeopardize your earnings. Attackers target blogs for many reasons: weak passwords, outdated themes or widgets, script injections, comment spam, and unsecured accounts. The good news? With a smart setup and simple routines, you can block the most common threats before they ever land.

This guide breaks down blog security into clear, actionable steps that anyone can follow. You’ll harden your accounts, lock down your platform settings, secure your template and widgets, protect your custom domain, and set up monitoring so you’re alerted when something looks off. Follow the checklists and apply the tools—your blog will be safer today, and resilient for the long term.

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Table of Contents

1. Why Blog Security Matters
2. Account Protection: Passwords, 2FA & Recovery
3. Platform Hardening (Blogger Settings)
4. Theme, Widgets & Script Security
5. Custom Domain & Email Security (DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
6. Monitoring, Backups & Incident Response
7. Advanced Protections (CDN, WAF, Rate Limits)
8. Monthly Security Checklist
9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
10. Conclusion

1) Why Blog Security Matters

Most blogs aren’t hacked by movie-style “super hackers.” They’re compromised by bots scanning the web for common mistakes: reused passwords, exposed admin pages, outdated scripts, or insecure widgets. The impact is real:

• Data loss: Posts, pages, images, and drafts can be deleted or corrupted.
• SEO damage: Spam links, injected redirects, and malware banners can trigger warnings and rankings collapse.
• Monetization risks: Ad networks and affiliate programs may suspend your account after a compromise.
• Audience trust: Phishing pop-ups or malicious downloads erode credibility.

The goal isn’t perfect security—it’s risk reduction. If you remove the easy paths, attackers usually move on.

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2) Account Protection: Passwords, 2FA & Recovery

Your Google account (and any admin collaborators) is the master key to your Blogger site. Lock it down first.

Password Rules That Actually Work

• Use a unique password that you don’t use anywhere else.
• Make it long (at least 14–20 characters) or use a manager-generated passphrase.
• Store securely in a reputable password manager.

Turn On 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication)

• Prefer Authenticator app or passkeys over SMS.
• Print or save backup codes offline.

Harden Recovery & Sharing

• Add a recovery email and phone you control.
• Review Security Checkup (recent devices, third-party access).
• For collaborators: use separate Google accounts with the least permissions needed. Remove access when work is done.

3) Platform Hardening (Blogger Settings)

Blogger includes quiet, powerful switches that reduce attack surface. Audit these now:

HTTPS & Redirect

• Enable HTTPS Availability.
• Enable HTTPS Redirect so all traffic is forced to secure pages.

Permissions & Roles

• Limit Admin role to the minimum number of people.
• Use Author or Editor roles for contributors.
• Regularly review the Invite list; remove stale invites.

Comments & Spam Control

• Turn on Comment moderation (Always or for posts older than X days).
• Require Comment captcha/verification for anonymous users.
• Block links or filter sensitive keywords to reduce spam injections.

Post & Page Hygiene

• Disable HTML in comments where possible; avoid untrusted scripts in post bodies.
• Don’t paste code from unknown sources; sanitize embed codes.

4) Theme, Widgets & Script Security

Your template and widgets determine how safe your front-end is. A single insecure widget can open the door.

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Theme Safety

• Use themes from reputable sources; avoid “nulled” or pirated templates.
• Keep a clean local backup of your current theme XML before edits.
• After big edits, export another backup with a dated filename.

Widget & Script Best Practices

• Audit gadgets/widgets quarterly. Remove anything unused.
• Prefer official or well-maintained widgets; avoid random third-party JS.
• Self-host critical assets where possible; pin versions (avoid unknown CDNs).
• Load third-party scripts deferred and only where needed.

Content Security Habits

• When embedding iframes or forms, verify the source domain and HTTPS.
• Never paste scripts you don’t understand. If unsure, sandbox on a test blog.

5) Custom Domain & Email Security (DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

If you use a custom domain, your DNS setup affects both security and deliverability.

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Registrar & DNS

• Use a strong, unique password and 2FA at your domain registrar.
• Lock the domain to prevent unauthorized transfers.
• Restrict who can access DNS; document every change.

SPF, DKIM, DMARC (for branded email)

• SPF record: defines which servers can send mail for your domain.
• DKIM: cryptographic signing for authenticity.
• DMARC: tells receivers how to handle spoofed mail, and gives you reports.

Why this matters: attackers love domain spoofing. Proper email auth protects your brand and reduces phishing sent “from” your domain.

6) Monitoring, Backups & Incident Response

Prevention is great—detection and recovery are non-negotiable.

Monitoring & Alerts

• Check Search Console for security issues, manual actions, and unusual coverage changes.
• Watch analytics for sudden traffic drops, weird countries, or spikes in outbound clicks.
• Enable login alerts for your Google account.

Backups That Actually Help

• Export your blog content (posts/pages/comments) monthly.
• Export theme XML after meaningful edits.
• Store backups in two places (cloud + offline drive).

Simple Incident Response Plan

1. Quarantine: Remove suspicious widgets or custom scripts; revert to a known-good theme.
2. Rotate access: Force sign-out of sessions; change passwords; regenerate backup codes.
3. Scan & verify: Review Search Console, links, and template code for injections.
4. Communicate: If users were affected, be transparent and share fixes.
5. Harden: Add any missing protections before restoring normal operations.

7) Advanced Protections (CDN, WAF, Rate Limits)

If you’re experiencing heavy spam or scraping, level up defenses:

• CDN/WAF: Use a reputable CDN with a Web Application Firewall to filter abusive traffic.
• Bot filtering: Challenge suspicious traffic; throttle excessive requests.
• Hotlink protection: Prevent others from embedding and leeching your images.
• Robots rules: Disallow obvious attack paths; keep sitemaps clean.

8) Monthly Security Checklist

• ✅ Review Google Account Security Checkup & 2FA.
• ✅ Audit Blogger permissions; remove unused authors/invites.
• ✅ Moderation: clear spam, adjust comment rules if spam rises.
• ✅ Theme & widgets: remove unused gadgets; verify third-party scripts.
• ✅ Export blog & theme backups; store safely.
• ✅ Check Search Console coverage/security; fix warnings.
• ✅ Registrar/DNS: confirm domain lock; review access.
• ✅ Email auth: confirm SPF/DKIM/DMARC still valid after any changes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1) How do hackers usually break into blogs?

Mostly through weak or reused passwords, lack of 2FA, malicious widgets/scripts, comment spam injections, and phishing of the site owner.

2) Is Blogger secure enough for beginners?

Yes—especially if you enable HTTPS, force redirect, moderate comments, avoid shady widgets, and lock down your Google account with 2FA.

3) Do I really need backups if Blogger is hosted by Google?

Yes. Backups let you quickly restore posts, pages, and themes after accidental deletions, bad edits, or a compromise.

4) How often should I change my password?

Change after any suspected incident. Otherwise, focus on using a unique, long password with 2FA and monitoring login alerts.

5) Are third-party widgets safe?

Only if they’re from reputable sources and actively maintained. Audit quarterly and remove anything you don’t absolutely need.

6) What should I do if I see strange links on my pages?

Revert to a clean theme backup, remove unknown gadgets, rotate credentials, and check Search Console for security or manual actions.

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Conclusion

Security isn’t a one-time task—it’s a routine. By protecting your account, tightening Blogger settings, auditing your theme and widgets, securing your domain/email, and setting up monitoring with backups, you’ll stop the majority of attacks that hit blogs every day. Start with account 2FA and HTTPS redirect, then work through the checklist this week. Your content—and your audience—are worth it.

📌 Written with ❤️ by Servantarinze’s Blog
Practical guides for blogging success, security, and sustainable online income.