Almost every day, we hear of some new attack on websites done by professional hackers and we witness the incredible damage they deal to large corporations. When you hear such news, you cannot help but wonder whether your website is secure enough. If you happen to have a small business, you may think that there’s no real reason for hackers to attack your website, but that’s where you’re wrong, since they usually get to the big targets via small businesses.
All they need to do is upload a malicious code on a website someone in your company goes to frequently, and the damage is done. Not only do you lose your reputation that way, but that also leads the authorities to your door. The consequences can be tremendous, so you need to have measures to protect your website and your business from such incidents. Here are the essential things you need to pay attention to in order to protect your website.
Keep Your Software Up-to-Date
Keeping your software updated at all times is crucial for keeping your website secure. Hackers scan thousands of websites looking for a way in, so you should never delay an update, because new vulnerabilities are being found all the time and you need to patch your software to keep it secure. This is especially important if you’re using third-party software, as new updates are released regularly. So, you need to keep track of those. If there are plugins you don’t use anymore, which haven’t been updated for quite some time, you should get rid of them, as they are an easy way in for hackers.
Have a Strong Password Policy
It goes without saying that you need to have strong passwords to protect your website from a potential hacker attack. It is imperative that you change them regularly if you want to optimize your security. Having strong passwords is not only important for financial transactions and your e-mails, but also for your website server and your database. Your passwords need to be a strong combination of alphanumeric characters and symbols, as well as both upper and lower case characters.
They also need to be at least 12 characters long to be able to not only protect your website from brute and dictionary attacks, but also to potentially eliminate all other forms of attack. It is vital that you keep your passwords encrypted, since that would make it almost impossible for anyone to crack them.
Use SSL Certificate
SSL will provide extra security for your website, since it is a protocol used to protect any information when in transit between the website and your database or server. Whenever personal information is being transferred between those, this security certificate will keep it secure and there would be no chance of hackers gaining access to your personal data or login information.
Choose a Good Hosting Provider
Having a good hosting provider is one of the most important things you can do for your website security. Your hosting provider should upload your data on a remote server in case an attack on your website occurs and you lose all of your files. A good web host needs to be aware of all the website security threats and the damage hackers can do, so that maximum security can be provided. Your hosting provider should also offer the best technical support at all times and have a team that is available 24/7.
Backup Your Data Regularly
While your hosting provider should backup your files on their remote servers, you should also do that on a daily basis, just in case the worst case scenario happens and you lose your data. Hard drives fail all the time, so you need to make sure you have all of your data backed up. Every file that is saved should automatically be backed up on several locations and you should also be able to do this manually. Doing this regularly will protect your database if you should lose them.
Install a Web Application Firewall
Web application firewalls will provide your website with extra security, as it will not only block anyone from hacking in, but it will also block spammers and malicious bots. It is a protection between your website server and the Internet and it protects every piece of information passing in between. Most web application firewalls are cloud-based and they will give you peace of mind whenever information is being transferred between your website server and data connection.
Protecting your website from potential hacker attacks is of the utmost importance and it should be at the top of your list. You need your files and all of your personal information secure at all times, so you need to implement all the security measures you can to ensure you don’t leave any gateway open for hackers to enter freely. Invest your time in your website security and provide your site with the best protection possible.
from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/ivandseo/6-essential-ways-to-improve-your-website-security/
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