A WordPress site can be current and still remain poorly protected. Basic practices like updates, backups and strong passwords remain essential, yet they do not address all risks.
When a site handles forms, user accounts, member areas or HR content, a reinforced approach becomes necessary: secure transmissions, harden administrative access and demonstrate data control. This approach aligns with GDPR requirements: data reduction, traceability and lifecycle management.
Encryption often gets reduced to enabling HTTPS. This view remains incomplete.
Transmission encryption: HTTPS across the entire site
HTTPS (TLS) encrypts exchanges between browsers and your platform. Without this protection, contact forms, login pages or extranet spaces risk exposing information during transmission.
Recommended concrete measures:
– Enforce HTTPS across the entire site (public interface and administration).
– Check that no resources load over HTTP (images, scripts) to avoid mixed content.
– Enable HSTS when your hosting and configuration allow it (to limit involuntary fallback to HTTP).
Practical tools:
– TLS/SSL certificates provided by the host (generally based on Let’s Encrypt).
– Configuration helper plugin if needed: Really Simple SSL / Really Simple Security (to use as transitional assistance, not as a permanent solution).
Encryption of discrete exchanges: emails and integrations
Numerous personal data items transit through:
– Email notifications (forms, orders, subscriptions).
– APIs (CRM, marketing tools, HR platforms, etc.).
Recommended actions:
– Use email sending via SMTP with TLS (rather than standard PHP sending).
– Document integrations: what information goes to which processors (GDPR requirement).
Useful plugin:
– WP Mail SMTP (to configure reliable sending via an SMTP/transactional provider).
Stored data encryption: database, backups, exports
WordPress already encrypts passwords (hashing). However, custom fields (sensitive form information stored) or backups may contain personal data in plain text.
Recommended practices:
– Encrypt backups (or drastically restrict access to files and storage).
– Avoid storing sensitive information in WordPress if not essential (GDPR minimisation principle).
– Define retention periods and a purging process.
Multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA): strengthening dashboard access
Multi-factor authentication adds a verification step during login (application code, physical key, etc.). Concretely, even if a password leaks, access remains blocked.
Who should enable 2FA first?
– WordPress administrators.
– Editorial accounts with data access (forms, orders, members).
– Agency or vendor accounts (temporary or maintenance access).
Progressive deployment (without blocking the team)
– Start with a pilot group (2-3 accounts).
– Require 2FA for privileged roles: administrator, editor.
– Provide backup codes and an internal procedure for phone loss.
– Reduce the number of administrators: a WordPress site generally works very well with 1-2 admins and appropriate roles.
Common plugins:
– Wordfence Login Security (2FA + login protections).
– Two Factor (lightweight plugin, multiple options).
– Solid Security (iThemes Security) (security suite including 2FA depending on version).
Regular audits: moving from declarative security to verifiable security
An audit does not necessarily constitute a heavy project. For WordPress, it often involves routine: check, correct, trace.
What a useful WordPress audit should examine
– Accounts and access: roles, inactive users, vendor access, password policy.
– Plugins and theme: unused plugins, versions, origin, active maintenance.
– Logging: connections, critical changes, recurring errors.
– Backups and restoration: frequency, retention, restoration testing (too often neglected).
– GDPR compliance: cookies, forms, consent, retention periods, access/deletion requests.
How frequently?
– Monthly: quick review (plugins, accounts, alerts).
– Quarterly: thorough audit (logs, restoration test, compliance verification).
– After each major evolution: new form, member area, redesign, integration addition.
Useful tools and plugins:
– Wordfence / Sucuri / Solid Security: alerts, controls, hardening.
– WP Activity Log: action history (also useful in agency context).
– UpdraftPlus / BlogVault: backups with scheduling options (according to needs).
GDPR: connecting security and compliance without unnecessary complexity
GDPR is not limited to a cookie banner. It mainly imposes control logic: collect less, inform better, maintain control.
Key obligations to remember
– Minimal collection: only request what is necessary.
– Legal basis and consent: explicit consent when required (marketing for example), clear information about usage.
– Individual rights: access, rectification, deletion (right to be forgotten), portability in some cases.
– Retention periods: define and apply rules (automatic deletion of unnecessary logs, purging of form messages).
– Processors: host, emailing tool, CRM… must be identified and governed (DPA/contract).
What WordPress already offers (often underused)
– Privacy pages and tools (privacy policy).
– Personal data export and erasure tools (Tools menu).
Plugins to automate part of compliance
– Complianz (cookie management, registry, document generation according to configuration).
– CookieYes (focus on banner and cookie consent).
Important note: these plugins facilitate, but do not guarantee compliance. Compliance also depends on your forms, your content, your integrations and your internal organisation.
Key takeaways
– Encryption is not limited to the padlock: also consider emails, APIs and backups.
– Multi-factor authentication constitutes one of the most effective protections for admin access.
– Regular audits transform intuitive security into controlled security.
– GDPR pushes to collect less, retain for shorter periods and respond to user requests.
– Plugins help, but compliance remains a whole: technical + content + processes.
Frequently asked questions
Is HTTPS sufficient for GDPR compliance?
No. HTTPS improves exchange security, but GDPR compliance also covers data minimisation, information, consent, retention and individual rights.
Should I enable 2FA for all users?
Not necessarily. In practice, enforce it at minimum for administrators and accounts with access to sensitive data. The rest can be optional depending on context.
Does a GDPR plugin make my site automatically compliant?
No. It facilitates cookie management, texts and certain settings, but it does not replace your collection choices, your contracts with processors and your internal processes.
What is an activity log (audit log) for?
To know who did what on the site: connection, plugin installation, settings change, content modification. It is useful for monitoring, quality and governance.
Conclusion
WordPress security and GDPR reinforce each other: encryption, multi-factor authentication and audits make your site more robust, while facilitating compliance (traceability, data control, procedures).
Need clarity? We can help you define a realistic checklist (security + GDPR), adapted to your site, your team and your constraints.