Table of contents
What are WordPress salt keys? Why use salt keys? Key benefits Where are WordPress salt keys located? How do salt keys work? When should you change your salt keys? How to manually change WordPress salts How to change salt keys with a plugin Next steps Additional resources
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WordPress Guide → Security → Salt Keys

WordPress salt keys: What they are, how they work, how to change them, and more

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Security and performance are key elements for any WordPress site, and one crucial aspect often overlooked is the implementation of WordPress salt keys. These unique security measures are fundamental for safeguarding your website and ensuring secure user sessions. 

WordPress salt keys play a pivotal role in encrypting user information, making it more challenging for attackers to compromise your site. Let’s get into what WordPress salt keys are, where they are located, and how to manage them effectively to enhance your site’s security.

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What are WordPress salt keys?

WordPress salt keys are sets of security keys that significantly improve the encryption of user sessions and cookies. These keys are indispensable for protecting sensitive information, such as user credentials and session data, from unauthorized access. WordPress generates a set of salt keys during installation, but it’s essential for website owners to change these keys periodically to maintain high security levels.

Salt keys add a layer of complexity to the hashing process of passwords and session tokens. When a user logs in, WordPress uses these salts along with the user’s password to create a unique hash. This ensures that even if someone accesses the database, it’s extremely difficult to derive the original passwords.

To generate or update your WordPress salt keys, you can use the WordPress.org secret-key service, which provides a set of random keys. These can be easily integrated into your wp-config.php file, significantly enhancing your site’s security.

Why use salt keys? Key benefits

Implementing WordPress salt keys in your configuration is crucial for enhancing your website’s security and performance. The primary benefits include:

  • Enhanced security: Salt keys make it significantly more challenging for hackers to gain access to user sessions, mitigating risks of session hijacking.
  • Better encryption: Salt keys create unique hashes for user sessions, ensuring intercepted data cannot be easily deciphered without the keys.
  • Improved performance: By preventing unauthorized access, your server can allocate resources more efficiently, improving loading times and user experience.

Utilizing WordPress salt keys is a straightforward yet effective way to bolster your site’s security and boost performance.

Where are WordPress salt keys located?

WordPress salt keys, also known as authentication keys and salts, are located in the wp-config.php file in the root directory of your WordPress installation. This file contains important configuration settings, including your database connection details and site URL.

To locate your WordPress salts, access your site’s files through an FTP client or a file manager provided by your web hosting service. Once you find the wp-config.php file, look for the section containing the authentication keys and salts, which usually appears as:

define(‘AUTH_KEY’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

define(‘SECURE_AUTH_KEY’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

define(‘LOGGED_IN_KEY’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

define(‘NONCE_KEY’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

define(‘AUTH_SALT’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

define(‘SECURE_AUTH_SALT’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

define(‘LOGGED_IN_SALT’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

define(‘NONCE_SALT’, ‘put your unique phrase here’);

These keys and salts encrypt your user sessions and cookies, making it harder for attackers to compromise your site. It is recommended to generate new salts regularly using the WordPress secret key generator.

How do salt keys work?

WordPress salt keys are a critical component of site security. They offer an additional layer of protection for user sessions and cookies, ensuring sensitive information is safeguarded from unauthorized access.

When a user logs into a WordPress site, their authentication data is stored in cookies. Salt keys encrypt this data, making it difficult for hackers to decipher even if they intercept the cookies. Each time a user logs in, WordPress generates unique encryption keys based on the salt keys.

Salt keys also play a crucial role in resetting passwords. When a password reset is initiated, the salt keys ensure the new password is securely hashed before being stored in the database. This means that even if a hacker gains access to the database, they will only find encrypted versions of passwords.

When should you change your salt keys?

Changing your WordPress salt keys can enhance security by invalidating existing user sessions. However, it will log out all users, which may be inconvenient.

Consider changing your salt keys in specific scenarios:

  • If your website has experienced a security breach.
  • If you suspect user sessions have been compromised.
  • After migrating your WordPress site or changing hosting providers.

There is no strict rule for how often you should change your salt keys, but doing so periodically, such as every six months to a year, is advisable.

How to manually change WordPress salts

Changing your WordPress salts is a crucial security measure. Here’s how to do it manually:

  • Access Your WordPress Files: Use an FTP client or your hosting provider’s file manager to access your WordPress installation files. Navigate to the root directory, typically named ‘public_html’ or ‘www’.
  • Open the wp-config.php File: Locate the ‘wp-config.php’ file in the root directory. Make a backup of this file before making any changes.
  • Find the Authentication Unique Keys and Salts Section: Look for the section labeled ‘Authentication Unique Keys and Salts’ within the ‘wp-config.php’ file.
  • Generate New Salts: Use the WordPress secret key generator to create new salts.
  • Replace the Old Salts: Replace the existing keys in your ‘wp-config.php’ file with the newly generated ones.
  • Save Changes: After updating the salts, save the changes to the ‘wp-config.php’ file. Clear your browser’s cache and cookies to ensure the new keys take effect.

How to change salt keys with a plugin

Using a plugin like Salt Shaker is an easy way to change your WordPress salt keys. Here’s how to do it:

  • Log into your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to the ‘Plugins’ section.
  • Click on ‘Add New’ and search for ‘Salt Shaker.’
  • Install and activate the plugin.
  • Find the new Salt Shaker option in the dashboard menu and click on it.
  • Click the ‘Generate’ button to create new salt keys.
  • Save the changes to update your wp-config.php file with the new salt keys.
  • Log out of your WordPress admin and log back in to ensure the new salt keys are in effect.

The Salt Shaker plugin makes it easy to refresh your salt keys, providing an added layer of security with minimal effort.

Getting started WordPress salt keys

Additional resources

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