Five Key Ways to Improve Website Security

Any website, regardless of size or content, is vulnerable to attack. Website attacks occur for a variety of reasons. Sometimes cyber criminals want to extract sensitive information from your website and its database, direct traffic away from your site to other pages, or use your site as a means of carrying out other attacks. Other times, they’re enjoying themselves with mindless, impersonal vandalism. You may also become a target for a specific reason, perhaps because the attackers object to a product you’re offering.

Fortunately, there are some reliable ways to improve website security and better protect your site from attack. These include the following:

• Encryption: Wired recently reported on how websites often don’t use HTTPS, a basic security protocol which helps visitors protect their private information as they’re using your site. In general, any payments visitors make on your site or any other sensitive data they share should be encrypted. If you can’t prove – through reputable, updated security certificates – that you’re encrypting confidential information, visitors will likely avoid your site; those who continue using your site will be far more exposed to hacking.
• Tools for combating denial-of-service attacks: Denial-of-service attacks can bring down your website by sending huge volumes of traffic to it, more than your website host can cope with. Programs such as CloudFlare can help block or mitigate the effects of such an attack.
• Review of coding weaknesses: The code you’ve used to develop your site may contain major weaknesses that hackers can easily exploit. Review your site’s code, and improve areas of vulnerability.
• Caution about plug-ins: WordPress, for example, comes with a huge variety of plug-ins: features that can add functionality or entertainment to your site. Choose only reputable plug-ins, keep them updated, and don’t load your site with too many of them.
• Guarding admin privileges: You need to protect your admin password, make it a strong one, and prevent brute force attacks, where hackers repeatedly try logging on to your site using different usernames and passwords.

Please contact us to further discuss improving your website security. With greater security, you’re more likely to successfully use your website to attract and engage with customers.