Websites are under constant threat from hackers who employ various crafty methods to try and identify and exploit weaknesses in them with absolutely no regard for the business owners who rely upon them so much.
Just imagine how devastated you would be if someone broke into your house. We imagine you would experience a similar sickening feeling if you discovered that your company website had been compromised by a hacker.
Websites are under constant threat from hackers who employ various crafty methods to try and identify and exploit weaknesses in them with absolutely no regard for the business owners who rely upon them so much.
Rectifying a web hack is often expensive and time-consuming, and in some circumstances, impossible, potentially bringing a permanent end to a business.
Even internet giants like Yahoo have been a victim of hacking – so, who’s to say that your website won’t be a hacker’s next target?
There are several courses of action you can take to ensure that your website is well protected against hacking or any other cyber-attacks.
To assess your website security, have a penetration test performed. This is a simulated attack on your computer system done to identify any strengths and weaknesses. Any recognised holes in your website security can then be closed.
If the website comes through the penetration test with flying colours then you can highlight this to online visitors to give them peace of mind.
You would be amazed at the number of people who still use easy to guess passwords such as ‘123456’ and ‘password’.
Try and select passwords with a minimum of eight characters that combine words, numbers, phrases, and symbols.
Using a password manager e.g. LastPass, Dashlane, Keeper, may be your best bet as it helps you generate strong passwords across all your online accounts. A good password manager will encrypt and store these passwords in a secured vault that you can gain access to with a single master password.
Most of us at some point have been guilty of ignoring the occasional software updates that pop up on our PC or Mac due to us being in the middle of something. That’s a habit you need to break!
These software updates are always released with good reason, sometimes to fix a newly identified vulnerability that a hacker could easily expose and they should, therefore, be accepted immediately. You will then know that your system is fully protected against the very latest security threats.
Migration of your website from HTTP to HTTPS isn’t just beneficial in terms of SEO, but it will also make it more secure and you will subsequently see a little green lock appear next to your web address.
HTTPS better protects your web data and any data supplied by your customers and it’s also less likely to be affected by malicious ads or spyware.
You cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to website security as it could come back to bite you. We won’t let that happen if you put us in charge of your web build as every website we develop is done so with security in mind.
Contact us for anything else you need to know about protecting your website.
CEO
