Online security is an essential issue in today’s society, especially for businesses. We live in an age where online security can make the difference between success or failure. Today, it is imperative that you do everything to protect your website from malicious attacks.
If you follow some simple best practices described below, you will make it harder for the bad guys, and that’s what counts.
1. Stay up to date on updates
Once your website is up and managed, you should update it as often as possible. Includes your server, CMS or development software, and any plugins you may be using.
The best way to keep your website secure is to keep it up to date. Many people are afraid to update their website because they don’t want it to crash, but that’s why they have backups (more on that in a moment). If something seems to go wrong after an update, you can do a quick restore, and it’s not a big problem. Then wait for the developer to release a fix and try the update again.
The absolute risk of upgrades is the delay in doing them. The longer you wait between updates, the higher the risk. It is easier (and less risky) to upgrade from 1.1 to 1.2, from 1.2 to 1.3, etc., than to upgrade from 1.1 to 2.0 when there were ten versions between them.
With every update you ignore, your website becomes less secure. But update regularly, and you have nothing to fear.
The updates are so compelling it’s almost laughable – try them out! A regularly updated website is a well-protected website.
2. Use secure, unguessable passwords
Yes, it’s 2021, but passwords are still crucial. When creating a strong password, make sure you do the following three things:
- Make them hard: Create a unique combination that is not a dictionary word or phrase that is recognizable to you. Include at least 12 characters of numbers, symbols, and upper and lower case letters.
- Don’t reprocess them: Each account you create should have its unique password. Every single one.
- Change them often: Set up a calendar reminder to review and update your passwords every few months.
3. Make your user names just as secure
Password security is still essential, but in 2021 a secure password is not enough. Your username also needs to be secure.
If possible, follow the three tips outlined above when creating a username. Usernames should be just as hard to guess and unique as passwords and should be updated just as often.
Brute force attacks on passwords are just as effective at targeting usernames.
Do not be fooled by the “name” of the username. Usernames are better than anonymous usernames and usernames that identify you. Just as you wouldn’t use your national insurance number as an email address, don’t use your name.
4. back up your website frequently and in multiple locations
Here’s a scary thought. In today’s Internet age, it’s safe to assume that every website will be hacked at some point, just like your house or car will be broken into.
But there’s something even scarier. It grabs an average of 197 days to discover that someone has gained access to your website data.
It’s bad luck to have your site hacked. Given the number of easy, automatic, and cheap website backup services available, not having a backup can be detrimental to your business.
- Schedule your backups to run frequently (at least daily).
- Every time you make a change to your website, create a new backup, and it will allow you to restore your site at a specific point in time instantly.
- Keep old backups for at least one year. Even if your website is in good shape, it is not always reliable. As mentioned above, it can take up to six months to realize you’ve been compromised.
- Make a backup and store it in another safe place, such as another server or another hard drive at home.
- It would be best if you also backed up your database. Many people don’t realize that you need to back up your files, but your files are only one part of your website. For a successful restore, you need to back up your files and your database simultaneously and store them together.
5. Choose a well-known, reliable website building option
It seems like every day; a new website builder comes on the market. OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but what Its mean is that there are many ways to build a website these days.
In addition, there are dozens (hundreds?) of newer options, many of which have yet to be created.
However, you build your website and make sure you choose something you are comfortable with and established. By established, something searchable on Google and has no shortage of videos, blog articles, and supporting documentation. There should be forums, social networks, and a community.
6. Follow a simple approach to web design
The design of your website doesn’t have to be cutting-edge either. Of course, it should be unique and represent you or your brand, but you should keep things simple and recognizable for your users.
Don’t get creative with the standards. If there is a common mechanism for menus and navigation, you should keep it. The design of your website should be familiar enough that users immediately understand how to use it.
Use the same approach for the functionality of your website. Don’t add hundreds of plugins to your website to cobble together a few features. Instead, look for plugins that offer a more comprehensive set of features so you can minimize the total number of plugins you use.
Anything you add to your website makes it less secure. For example, the WordPress platform itself is very secure and rigorously tested. The same cannot undoubtedly be said about the plugin library. When working with WordPress, always make sure your plugins are compatible with your version of WordPress, that they are regularly updated and that the reviews are positive.
7. Use SSL
An SSL certificate is the handy little green padlock you see when you visit a secure website.
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a technology used to protect and encrypt data transferred between a visitor’s browser and your web server. Simply put, it protects your customers’ data (e.g., name, credit card, or account information) from being hacked. Even if your website is hacked and this data is stolen, the hacker will not decrypt it.
Securing Your Website For The Future
Be creative with your content and services, not your website. We’re not living in the 90s anymore, and Crazy mouse’s work effects and Comic Sans are no longer the order of the day.
If you want a secure and well-functioning site, avoid beta technologies and flashy new software. Choose trustworthy providers that have been around for years, have a large user base, and draw on a wealth of online resources.
For even more protection, check out Fix Hacked Site. This website security checker scans your site for malware, removing it automatically and protecting your site from attack.