When you create a website, security should be your top priority to prevent cyber-attacks, and security and privacy breaches. Securing your site against attacks is critical if you want to protect your data and your users’ privacy. Your business risks losing customers if your website’s security is not reliable. Therefore, there are different measures you should take to protect your site. In this article, we provide some essential tips that can help you improve your website security.
Choose a Secure Web Hosting Service
First and foremost, you should choose secure web hosting to protect your site against attacks. Secure hosting involves regular screening and continual monitoring to identify threats like DDoS and take appropriate action to prevent them from harming websites. Your web host should adhere to international standards concerning aspects like online security and privacy.
You can enjoy peace of mind when you choose a platform that is monitored 24/7 to build your website. A platform that provides updates and scans for vulnerabilities can go a long way in improving your site’s security. You also need to choose a website builder that contains the necessary built-in features to protect your site and run your business. It is best not to overly rely on third-party apps since they can be a source of website security breaches.
Use Reliable Plug-ins
Plugins are ideal because they help you customize your site, but you should know that they can come with underlying issues that can pose threats. For instance, you can use different plugins to upload files to your website, but make sure they are reliable. By choosing a reputable upload API service, you are ensuring maximum security for your data. If you choose the right plugin, you can get many features like APIs, UI widgets, and SDKs that can be used for adding uploads to websites.
Reliable content uploading plugins are fast, and you can customize them to limit the size and type of files that can be uploaded to your website by the users. This will help you maintain quality and consistency in the type of data that can be uploaded to your site. When you upload a file to a website, you get a code you should use when you want to download it. This helps prevent unauthorized people from accessing confidential information.
Authorize Access to Files on Your Website
Large websites for corporations require a team of people to manage them. Even if you operate a website for your small business, it should be accessed by authorized people. You should award admin powers and access to trustworthy people to secure your website. If you grant full access to your site to anyone, your website will become more vulnerable to attacks.
It is essential to write a security policy that guides the operations of all site admins which should include third-party downloads, choosing passwords, and other aspects that can make your site’s security a top priority. You also need to authenticate and authorize the users who can access your files. For example, the Upload plugin allows you to authorize downloads as well as uploads. This will help you control the information that is posted on your site.
Invest in SSL protocols
A secure website comes with the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol which is designed to protect communication between your site and server through the use of encryption. You can spot the SSL protocol from the HTTPS which tells you that your site is secure. The SSL protocol encrypts the connection between the server and browser to prevent hackers from interfering or accessing the information passed.
While an SSL protocol is supposed to be standard on any website, it is critical on sites that mainly perform online sales and transactions. SSL protocols have since been upgraded to handle sophisticated data to prevent breaches. Investing in an SSL certificate is worthwhile as it is designed to protect sensitive data such as login details and bank information from hackers.
Other web builders come with extra layers of protection that help you create any type of website you want. You can use these security protocols to build a personal or eCommerce site. Your data and the privacy of the customers will be protected under the highest industry standards.
Choose Safe Site Backup Methods
Security breaches may be unavoidable in some instances regardless of the security measures you implement to protect your website. One of the safest methods to secure your site is to have an effective backup solution. This will help you ensure your website can be restored if the original version is attacked. There are different solutions you can consider to backup your data. Make sure your backup is stored off-site, not on the same server as your site. You can use an external hard drive to keep your website backup to protect it from hacks, hardware failure, and viruses.
Another viable option is to backup your site details in the cloud. This method is safe since the information is stored on servers in different locations. Even if your business server and hardware are destroyed by natural disasters, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that you can recover your information from anywhere. It is essential to automate the backup solution and make sure the recovery system is reliable. Most website builders provide automatic backups of their sites where you don’t need to do anything.
Change Website Default CMS Settings
When creating your website, it is vital to alter your content management system (CRM) to prevent issues like hacking. For example, you can achieve this by changing your user settings and comments settings so you can manage your site the way you want. When you make some changes to these default settings, you will make it difficult for hackers to understand how the system operates. This will help protect your site from attacks since the bots will experience challenges in reading information on your platform.
Use a Strong Password
Your website must be protected by a strong password so that it is not accessed by unauthorized persons. When you identify the admins who can access your site, make sure you exercise the best password practices. The easiest way to protect your website is to create a long password consisting of different letters, figures, and even symbols. You also need to change the password regularly to prevent data breaches.
Another crucial measure to protect your password is that you should never share it with other people. Don’t use the same password across different online accounts, and keep your login credentials in a safe place. You should also set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to keep hackers at bay. This makes it difficult for hackers to access your site due to the lack of the login notification code sent to your mobile device.
Software Updates
You can also protect your website from data breaches by updating the software. When your site becomes outdated, it will be vulnerable to attacks. Other web builders like WordPress provide automatic updates which will save you the hassle of doing it manually. The main benefit of automatic updates is that you will not miss any crucial updates.
Additionally, you also need to perform malware scans to enhance website security. The advantage of scanning your system is that this process identifies potential threats and removes them to prevent you from losing confidential files. When you perform regular scans, potential threats can be quickly erased. You also need to ensure that you install the latest antivirus program to detect new versions of viruses and malware.
Limited Login Attempts
Limiting the number of login attempts is another effective method you can consider to protect your website. For instance, if there are three attempts to log in to your site from the same IP address, your site should automatically block the visitor so they can try other sites. While hackers can use different IP addresses, this limitation will make it difficult for them to access your site which will help improve its security.
Web Application Firewall
A web application firewall (WAF) is another effective method you can consider to improve your website and server security. The firewall helps identify threats and prevent them from penetrating your site. WAF also analyses data transmission to check if it is secure or not. If there is any harmful information identified by the firewall, it removes it to protect your site. This additional layer of security is vital as it protects your site from threats.
When you build a personal or business website, you should make sure it is safe and secure. Cyber attacks are real, and they often lead to financial losses, data theft, as well as privacy breaches. If your website is not secure, you may end up losing clients since many people are concerned about the confidentiality of their information. Fortunately, there are several methods you can consider to secure your website and prevent issues like hacking. Taking the essential tips mentioned above can help you improve the security of your site and protect your business interests.
