How WordPress Exposes Your Admin Username & How to Fix It!
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I received an alarming DM from one of my e-buddies, Darren of Small Biz Geek. This is what he said…
Say whaaaaaaaaat?
Now, I know not to ever use “admin” for my username, and I’m aware of the nickname issue. The nickname issue is when your admin nickname displays with your comments, revealing your username. Go to Users in your dashboard and edit your Admin user account; change your nickname to something unique.
But even after changing my nickname, I had another vulnerability to consider.
The Byline Might Be Exposing Your Username
Darren figured out my login username for a new site without any hacking; he simply hovered over a link in my author byline. You might have the same issue on your WordPress site—and it’s easily fixed. If your byline displays “By [Name]” under your post title, your admin username could be exposed.
Hover over that name in your byline. (Not all themes show the byline.) You will notice it goes to http://yoursite.com/author/[name], where [name] is your login username.
It’s crazy that WordPress hasn’t addressed this yet! Since many of us use our Admin accounts for posting, this is a major security risk. By exposing your username, you’re essentially giving hackers the key to your account—and they can easily crack simple passwords using automated scripts that try millions of combinations per second.
How to Hide Your Username In The Byline
This might seem daunting, but it’s a quick and easy process, taking only 3-5 minutes. Darren created a video tutorial and provided text instructions below. Remember to backup your database before making any changes.
Text Instructions:
- Login to your cpanel or hosting account control panel.
- Navigate to PHPMyAdmin (or your host’s equivalent database software) to access your WordPress database(s).
You’ll see your database name and other databases. Locate and select your WordPress database. Now, find the wp_usermeta table and run a query to remove or update the byline meta data linking to your username.