Change author Path and Hide ID with WP Ghost

Automated programs, commonly referred to as hacker bots, continuously search websites to uncover author usernames by utilizing author IDs.

This method allows them to obtain author usernames effortlessly. Once received, these usernames can be used to gain unauthorized access to the website’s dashboard through the login form.

What is Author Path and Author ID in WordPress?

In WordPress, the Author Path refers to the URL structure used to access the pages or profiles of individual authors on a website.

When a WordPress site has multiple authors contributing content, each author typically has their own page or profile that showcases their posts, information, and sometimes a biography.

For example, if your WordPress site’s domain is “domain.com” and an author with the username “john” has contributed articles, the author path might look like this:

Default Author Path: https://domain.com/author/john/

Visiting this URL would take users to a page displaying all of John’s published posts and any additional information about him.

On the other hand, Author ID refers to the unique numerical identifier assigned to each registered user (author) on a WordPress website.

WordPress uses this ID internally to differentiate between users and assign permissions. Every user, including administrators, is assigned a specific numeric ID.

For instance, if John has an Author ID of 5, the URL to his author page might also include the Author ID in this format:

Author Path with ID: https://domain.com/?author=5

Why is it essential to secure the Author Path?

Think of your WordPress website as a digital castle. Inside this castle, there are rooms for different authors who create content. Each author has a special name (like a username) and a secret number (like a code) that lets them in.

But, there are some sneaky characters outside who want to find out these secrets. They can use tricks to guess the author’s name and secret number. If they succeed, they can try to break into the castle and cause trouble.

Now, imagine if the castle had secret doors with names written on them and secret codes displayed. The sneaky characters could quickly discover who lives where and which code opens each door.

That’s similar to what happens with author paths and IDs in WordPress. By default, WordPress shows the author’s name and secret number in the web addresses, making it easier for sneaky characters (hacker bots) to guess and cause problems.

But, here’s the important part:

If you hide the author’s name and secret number (path and ID), the sneaky hackers get confused. They can’t guess who lives where or which code opens the doors.

This is super important because it keeps your website safe. Hackers can’t easily guess author names and IDs, so they can’t make brute-force attempts.

Overall, securing author paths and IDs is integral to maintaining the security, integrity, and privacy of your WordPress website and its users.

How to Secure Author Path with WP Ghost

To enhance security, modify the author’s path using the WP Ghost Plugin. By following these steps, you can strengthen the security of your WordPress website and prevent unauthorized access by hacker bots.

Activate Safe Mode or Ghost Mode

Begin by activating Safe Mode or Ghost Mode to open the path customization process.

1. Access your WordPress dashboard after installing and activating the WP Ghost plugin.
2. Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths > Level of Security.
3. Select Safe Mode or Ghost Mode. Safe Mode provides basic protection, while Ghost Mode offers more advanced security features.

Change Author Path

Now, let’s transform the paths that guide hackers through your castle’s halls:

1. Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths > User Security.
2. Next to Custom Author Path, you’ll see the predefined custom name for the author path.
3. Change the author path with a custom name like “writer” or keep the predefined custom name.
4. Click the Save button to apply the changes.

Note: Some profile plugins and themes rely on the author path for user portfolios and customized profile pages. If the author’s path is modified, these functionalities might malfunction.

If you encounter such issues, you can revert to the default path. Remove the custom author path and use the default path instead.

Hide Author ID URL

To disable the author ID calls, follow these steps

1. Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths > User Security.
2. Switch on Hide Author ID URL to hide any access through author=ID parameter.
3. Click the Save button to apply the changes.

Usually, when someone enters a URL like https://domain.com/?author=1 on a WordPress site, they are automatically redirected to https://domain.com/author/username/. Here, “username” is the author’s login name associated with an ID of 1 (usually the admin user).

By activating the option Hide Author ID URL, URLs like domain.com/?author=1 will no longer reveal the user’s login name.

Run a Security Check

After saving your changes, it’s essential to run a security check to verify that the paths are hidden and secured.

1. Go to WP Ghost > Security Check.
2. Click the Run Full Security Check button to initiate a new security scan.
3. The plugin will verify that the author path is successfully changed and author=ID path has been successfully hidden.
4. If the path is hidden as intended, the security task will be marked as complete.

Conclusion

You’ve successfully strengthened the security of your WordPress website by making strategic adjustments to author paths and IDs. These modifications are essential for preserving the privacy, integrity, and overall security of your online platform.

Remember that cybersecurity is an ongoing commitment. Regularly revisiting these steps and staying informed about evolving security practices will help you stay one step ahead of potential vulnerabilities.

Troubleshooting

Author Pages or Profiles Are Not Accessible After Changing the Author Path

Clear cache

Clear the cache of your cache plugin and your browser to ensure you see the latest changes. Cached pages might still have the old author paths stored, causing issues.

Check the custom author path

Double-check the custom author path you’ve set to ensure it has been entered accurately and without any typos.

Permalink settings

Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Settings > Permalinks, and click Save Changes to refresh the permalinks. This action can sometimes help resolve issues related to URL structures.

Revert to default path

Delete the custom author path temporarily to see if the accessibility issue is related to it. If the default path works, there might be a compatibility issue with other plugins.

However, the root cause is often server configuration, especially if the rewrite rules haven’t been correctly applied. It’s essential to follow the instructions in WP Ghost according to your server type and ensure proper configuration.

Some Author Links Are Broken After Changing the Author Path

If you’ve noticed that some of your links are broken or directing you to the wrong destinations after modifying the author path, there might be an issue with the permalink structure. When you change the author path, the URLs associated with author profiles and pages are also altered. This can lead to incorrect links and broken navigation.

Solution:

Clear Cache

If you have a cache plugin or use server caching, clear all the cache, as the change of paths has significantly changed the website’s structure.

Update permalinks

Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Settings > Permalinks, and click Save Changes to refresh the permalinks. This action can sometimes help resolve issues related to URL structures.

Check for hard-coded links

If you’ve manually added author links within your content or theme files, update them to reflect the new author path.

After applying these steps, your links should lead to the correct destinations, and the issue of broken or incorrect links should be resolved.

Some Contributors or Users Have Difficulty Accessing their Profiles after Changing Author Path