How to Protect your Website from Hackers?
Your website is useful for both you and the people who visit it. The same goes for hackers, so protect your website. Putting your website online is like opening the door to your building while your office and safe are still open: Most people who come to your building won’t even know that all of your information is there and can be found by just walking in. Someone with bad intentions will sometimes walk in and steal your information. That’s why doors and safes have locks.
What makes a website safe?
Ensuring a website is safe involves multiple layers of security measures and practices that protect both the site itself and its users. Here are the key aspects that make a website safe:
1. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate
- SSL/TLS Encryption: A secure website uses HTTPS rather than HTTP. The “S” stands for “secure” and indicates that the data transferred between the user’s browser and the website is encrypted.
- Padlock Icon: A padlock icon in the address bar signifies that the site has an SSL certificate, which helps to prevent data interception by encrypting information.
2. Regular Software Updates
- Content Management Systems (CMS): Platforms like WordPress, Joomla, and others need regular updates to patch security vulnerabilities.
- Plugins and Themes: Keep all plugins and themes up to date to avoid exploitation of known security flaws.
3. Strong Authentication Mechanisms
- Strong Passwords: Use complex passwords that include a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using easily guessable information.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Implementing 2FA adds an additional layer of security by requiring a second form of verification, such as a code sent to a mobile device.
4. Regular Security Audits and Vulnerability Scanning
- Security Audits: Regularly review the website’s security measures to identify and rectify potential vulnerabilities.
- Automated Scans: Use tools like automated scanners to check for malware, vulnerabilities, and other security issues.
5. Firewall and Intrusion Detection Systems
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): A WAF can help protect your site from various attacks by filtering and monitoring HTTP traffic between a web application and the Internet.
- Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): IDS can detect unauthorized access attempts and alert administrators.
6. Secure Hosting Environment
- Reputable Hosting Provider: Choose a hosting provider known for robust security measures, including regular backups, secure data centers, and DDoS protection.
- Server Configuration: Ensure that the server is configured securely, with unnecessary services disabled and strong access controls in place.
7. Data Protection and Privacy Policies
- Data Encryption: Encrypt sensitive data both in transit and at rest to protect it from unauthorized access.
- Privacy Policies: Clearly state how user data is collected, used, and protected. Compliance with regulations like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is crucial.
8. Regular Backups
- Automated Backups: Regular automated backups ensure that data can be restored in case of a breach or data loss.
- Off-site Storage: Store backups in a separate location to protect against physical threats to the primary site.
9. Protection Against Malware and Phishing
- Antivirus and Anti-malware Tools: Regularly scan the site for malware using reliable security tools.
- Phishing Protection: Implement measures to detect and block phishing attempts, which can compromise user data.
10. Secure Development Practices
- Code Reviews: Regularly review and test code for vulnerabilities and ensure that secure coding practices are followed.
- Input Validation: Implement input validation to protect against common attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).
11. User Education and Awareness
- Security Awareness Training: Educate users and administrators about common security threats and best practices.
- Regular Updates: Keep users informed about new security features and updates.
12. Robust Access Controls
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Limit access to sensitive parts of the site based on user roles and responsibilities.
- Least Privilege Principle: Ensure users only have the minimum level of access necessary to perform their tasks.
12 Tips to Protect Your Company Website From Hackers
Protecting your company website from hackers is essential for maintaining the integrity, trust, and security of your business. Here are 12 tips to help safeguard your website from cyber threats:
1. Use Strong Passwords and Change Them Regularly
- Complexity: Ensure passwords are complex, combining upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Regular Updates: Change passwords regularly and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.
- Password Managers: Use a password manager to store and generate strong passwords securely.
2. Implement Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- Extra Layer of Security: 2FA adds an additional verification step, making it harder for unauthorized users to gain access.
- Various Methods: Use methods such as SMS codes, authentication apps, or hardware tokens.
3. Keep Software Up to Date
- CMS and Plugins: Regularly update your content management system, plugins, themes, and any other software used on your website.
- Automatic Updates: Enable automatic updates where possible to ensure you are always protected against known vulnerabilities.
4. Use HTTPS and SSL Certificates
- Encryption: HTTPS encrypts the data transferred between the user and the website, protecting sensitive information.
- SSL Certificates: Ensure your website has a valid SSL certificate, which helps to establish a secure connection.
5. Regular Backups
- Automated Backups: Set up automated backups to ensure your data is regularly saved.
- Off-Site Storage: Store backups in a separate location to protect against data loss due to hacking or physical damage.
6. Web Application Firewall (WAF)
- Filter Traffic: A WAF can help filter and monitor HTTP traffic between your website and the internet, blocking malicious requests.
- Protection Against Attacks: It helps protect against common threats like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and DDoS attacks.
7. Regular Security Audits and Vulnerability Scanning
- Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits to identify and fix vulnerabilities in your website’s infrastructure.
- Automated Scanning: Use automated tools to regularly scan your website for malware and vulnerabilities.
8. Limit User Access and Use Role-Based Permissions
- Least Privilege: Ensure that users only have access to the information and resources necessary for their role.
- Regular Review: Regularly review and update user permissions to reflect current roles and responsibilities.
9. Secure File Uploads
- Restrict Upload Types: Only allow necessary file types to be uploaded and scan them for malware.
- Limit File Size: Set limits on the file size to prevent large uploads that could disrupt your site’s performance.
10. Protect Against SQL Injection
- Input Validation: Implement input validation to ensure only expected data types and formats are accepted.
- Parameterized Queries: Use parameterized queries to prevent attackers from injecting malicious SQL code.
11. Monitor and Log Website Activity
- Logging: Keep detailed logs of user activity on your website to detect suspicious behavior.
- Monitoring Tools: Use monitoring tools to get real-time alerts about potential security breaches or unusual activity.
12. Educate Your Team
- Security Training: Provide regular security training for employees to raise awareness about common threats and best practices.
- Phishing Awareness: Educate your team about phishing attacks and how to recognize suspicious emails or links.
1. Stay updated
You should know about the latest hacking threats. If you know at least a little bit about what could happen, you can protect your website from it. Check out what’s new at a tech site like Hacker News. Use what you learn to take new steps to protect yourself when you need to.
2. Toughen up access control
Hackers can easily see everything on your website that you don’t want them to see through the admin level. Make sure that user names and passwords are hard to guess. Change the default database prefix from “wp6_” to something random and harder to figure out. Even if you reset your password, you should limit the number of times you can try to log in within a certain amount of time. Email accounts can also be hacked. Don’t send login information through email, in case an unauthorized user has already gotten in.
3. Keep everything current
Software companies have to spend money on updates. They only do it when they have to, and most people who use the software don’t update it right away. If the update is needed because of a security hole, putting it off leaves you open to attack in the meantime. Hackers can look through thousands of websites in an hour for weak spots that will let them get in. They talk to each other all the time, so if one hacker knows how to get into a program, a lot of other hackers will know too.
4. Tighten network security
People in your office who use computers may be giving your website servers an easy way to get in. Make sure to:
- After a short time of not being used, logins expire.
- Often, passwords are changed.
- Strong passwords are NEVER written down.
- Every time a device is connected to the network, it is checked for malware.
Since I started my hosting company, we’ve had to keep an eye on the security of our network every minute to make sure it doesn’t get hacked.
5. Install a web application firewall
A web application firewall (WAF) can be made up of either software or hardware. It goes between your website server and the data connection and reads everything that goes through it.
Most modern WAFs are run in the cloud and come as plug-and-play services for a small monthly fee. The cloud service is basically set up in front of your server, where it acts as a gateway for all traffic coming in. Once it’s set up, a web application firewall gives you complete peace of mind by blocking all hacking attempts and filtering out other types of unwanted traffic, like spammers and malicious bots. This is a great way to make sure you don’t get hacked as Craigslist did.
6. Install security applications
Even though they aren’t as good as a full-fledged WAF, there are some free and paid security apps you can install that will make it harder for hackers to get in. Even free plugins, like the one from Acunetix WP Security, can add an extra layer of security by hiding the identity of your website’s CMS. By doing this, this tool makes you less vulnerable to automated hacking tools that search the web for WordPress sites with a certain build and version that have at least one known vulnerability.
7. Hide admin pages
You don’t want search engines to list your admin pages, so you should use the robot’s txt file to stop them from doing so. If they are not indexed, hackers will have a harder time finding them. This SEObook.com tutorial is all the help you need.
8. Limit file uploads
File uploads are a major concern. Even if the system checks for bugs carefully, they can still get through and give hackers full access to your site’s data. The best thing to do is block direct access to any files that have been uploaded. Keep them in a place other than the root directory and use a script to get to them when you need to. Most likely, your web host will help you set this up.
9. Use SSL
Use an SSL protocol to send personal information about your users from your website to your database. This will stop the information from being read while it’s being sent or accessed without the right permissions.
10. Remove form auto-fill
When you leave auto-fill turned on for forms on your website, it can be attacked from any user’s stolen computer or phone. You should never let someone attack your website by taking advantage of a user’s laziness.
11. Back-up frequently
Just in case the worst does happen, keep copies of everything. Back up everything both on-site and off-site, and do it more than once a day. When a user saves a file, it should automatically be saved in more than one place. If you only back up once a day, you will lose the data from that day if your hard drive fails. Keep in mind that every hard drive will break.
12. You can’t hide your code
You can buy software that says it will hide the code on your websites. It doesn’t work. Browsers need to see your code in order to display your website pages, so there are easy ways to avoid “encrypting” web pages.
Users don’t like it when you disable “right-click” as a way to see your website’s code because it also disables all other “right-click” functions, and there are easy ways around this that every hacker knows. If someone told you it was possible, read this article on HTMLgoodies.com to learn in detail why you can’t hide your code.
Why should Companies Secure their Websites from Hackers?
- By protecting their websites from hackers and viruses, companies can avoid having to spend more money to get their websites working again after a breach.
- For small and medium-sized businesses, cyberattacks on their websites could cause too much damage for them to get back to how they were before the attack. Also, websites that have had serious data breaches may be put on a “blacklist” by search engines. This could lead to a big drop in the number of new customers that companies get.
- On the other hand, when businesses secure their websites, they make it possible for their SEO rankings to go up.
- By keeping hackers from getting into their websites, companies first protect their users’ information, like their names, email addresses, credit card numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, etc. Hackers often go after corporate websites to put malware on them, which customers will then download to their devices.
- Companies that haven’t taken steps to keep hackers out of their websites are likely to get bad press. Data breaches get a lot of attention in business magazines and newspapers. When the news reports something bad about a company, it sends a message to other market players and investors that the company is not a reliable business partner.
- Companies that do a good job of keeping their websites safe have an advantage over their competitors.
- With a website that is very well protected from cyberattacks, you can continue to show that you are a high-performing company while your competitors are having trouble running their businesses because of cyberattacks.
- By making sure hackers can’t get into their websites, companies can also let their most important employees work on growing the business and making the user experience better instead of fixing security problems.
- Time is the most valuable thing a business has, and making sure websites are secure is one of the best ways to make sure employees use their time wisely.
- Hackers are always adding to the tools they use to break into websites. Because of this, it is often hard to tell how much damage cyberattacks on corporate websites can do.
In general, any good company that cares about its reputation should know how to keep hackers from getting into its website.
Conclusion
Overall, website hacking is one of the biggest cybersecurity risks that companies in many different fields face. If a company doesn’t protect its website from hackers and viruses, this could hurt its finances, reputation, and technology, as well as its overall ability to compete in the long run.
Frequently Asked Question
You can protect your original website content by putting copyright notices on each page, but it’s also a good idea to register your copyright. Find a good intellectual property attorney to help you if your site is complicated or has more than one author.
You can get a copyright on the design of your website, but you can’t get a copyright on how you made the design. Copyright only applies to the way something looks or how it works. Copyright laws also say that you can’t copyright the domain or title of your website.
Checking to see if your website has an SSL Certificate installed is the easiest way to make sure it is safe. You can tell which ones these are by looking at the top of your browser, where you would type a URL.
Even though HTTPS makes a website more secure, that doesn’t mean hackers can’t get in. Even if you switch from HTTP to HTTPS, hackers could still attack your site, so you need to pay attention to other things as well if you want to make your website secure.
You can protect your original website content by putting copyright notices on each page, but it’s also a good idea to register your copyright. Find a good intellectual property attorney to help you if your site is complicated or has more than one author.
