Naqash Saqib

What is website security?

Website security, as the name implies, is protecting your website from online threats. You work really hard to design your website, yet all might be gone in an instant if you don’t have a solid security plan. Website security comes to your aid to protect you from this. It protects the information on your website against hackers and cybercriminals, who are constantly trying to find ways to exploit websites.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport released its 2020 UK cybersecurity breaches study, which found that 26% of charities and 46% of businesses had cybersecurity breaches or attacks in the previous year.

Is security important for all websites?

yes of course it is necessary, Your website’s security should be your first concern, regardless of whether it’s an eCommerce platform or just a blogging platform. This is the case because all of the data and material you have worked so hard to generate could be lost in a single hacking attack. It may also have a negative effect on your search engine rankings. Make sure your website has all the security elements installed and up to date in order to prevent.

Why website security is so important for your business?

Website security ought to be at the top of your list of priorities, regardless of the size of your company. You run the danger of losing all of your personal and corporate data without it.

Following are 5 reasons why website security is important:

1. Cyber attacks are unpredictable:

You never know when a hacker would attempt to access your website because these attacks are always unpredictable. Even experts cannot foresee when and which websites thieves would target, or how they will do it. As a result, it is critical to maintain top-tier website security at all times.

2. Loss of trust and reputation:

Your clients’ trust could be lost with only one cybersecurity lapse. This might seriously damage your brand’s reputation. Providing personal information like name, address, phone number, and credit card details might make them reluctant.

As an example, would you purchase anything from a well-known website or provide your personal information there if you learned of a cyberattack or data breach? Similar to this, if your website’s security is compromised, customers would be reluctant to visit or even buy from you.

3. Loss of sale:

It could take some time to get your website back up and running once cyber criminals attack it. You can lose business as you rebuild and secure your website in the interim. Customers couldn’t make purchases from your website. As a result, your company can experience a loss due to a decline in sales.

4. You can’t completely rely on hosting service providers:

Many people get it wrong that if their servers are secure and protected, their website is also safe. However, this is not the case, no matter how secure the server is, your website can still be at risk if you don’t have advanced security.

5. Cyber attacks may lead to the blacklisting of websites:

Search engines may put your website on a blacklist if hackers hack it and cause harm. Search engines may limit access to your website or list it entirely on their blacklist, contingent on the extent of the security breach. There are instances when URLs carry a warning label next to them that reads, “This website is not safe.” Search engines employ this kind of restriction as well to shield users from dubious websites. These are a few of the most compelling reasons for safeguarding your website against online threats. There are, however, many of other benefits. Your website’s enhanced security features also contribute to its improved functionality. You now understand the significance of website security.

Let’s dive deep and have a look at the top 5 ways to protect your website from cyber attacks:

1. Switch to HTTPS:

A Secure Sockets Layer certificate is required in order to convert from Hypertext Transfer Protocol to Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Converting HTTP traffic to HTTPS is simple when you install an SSL certificate on your website. Sensitive data, such as payment card numbers and customer personal information, is protected during transmission between your server and your website by an SSL certificate.  This step is especially more crucial if your website is an online store. Through your website, you take orders from clients and process payments. Therefore, installing an SSL certificate is crucial.  Search engines are taking steps to safeguard user data in response to the increase in cyber crime.One of the reasons you can see a warning notice when you visit a website is because the SSL certificate is invalid. In addition, your website’s bounce rate will rise significantly if you have these warnings.

2. Install security plugins:

Using security plugins allows you to protect your website from online risks such as virus assaults. They may also protect your private data and stop hackers from attacking your website. Additionally, to give your system an additional layer of security, you can utilise antivirus software. Different systems for managing content require different kinds of security plugins. Such as:

For Magento:

• Watchlog Pro
• MageFence
• Amasty

For WordPress:

• iThemes Security
• WordFence
• Fail2Ban
• WPscan
• Sucuri

3. Keep strong passwords:

Passwords are not something you can just use “12345678”. You should be protected from blatant hacking attempts by cybercriminals with a strong enough password. Take cautious not to include apparent information in your password, such as your anniversary or date of birth. You should use a combination of capital letters, digits, and special characters to create a strong password. You can also use the name of your pet, your favourite food, or any other name you can think of to build a secure password.  In addition, you have the option to add a second step to the sign-up process by turning on two-step verification. In this manner, when you attempt to enter into your account, the system will request more information than just your username and password.This aids in shielding websites from several security risks.  You may keep all of your passwords securely in one location by using a password manager programme if you struggle to remember complex passwords. Additionally, this programme will assist you in coming up with secure passwords. There are three types of passwords: strong, easy, and challenging. A weak password leaves your website open to attack and makes hackers’ work easier. It’s preferable if your password is strong.

4. Give only restrictive access to the site:

This is useful if your site is managed by different people. In this case, different people may have access to your site, and a hacker may try to gain access using  different people’s credentials. To prevent this from causing major damage to your site, you can grant limited access to other people. This means that other people can only use parts of your website using your login credentials. Furthermore, if  a hacker happens to get access to your credentials, they will only be able to access  a very limited area of ​​your website. Additionally, you should remove unnecessary users who no longer need to access  your website. Sometimes, you may need to allow someone to access your website  for a short period of time. Cyber ​​criminals can use these users’ access to access your website and steal your sensitive information. Once hackers gain access to your website, they can also delete all your data. To avoid this, you should remove users who no longer need to access your website.

5. Take a backup of your site:

Although you can improve the security of your website, there is always a risk that your website will be attacked or hacked. Software companies are improving their security features, and at the same time, cybercriminals are also getting smarter. They are constantly evolving to infiltrate websites and steal people’s sensitive data. After you have done all you can to secure your website, you need to back it up. Finally, create a backup of your website so that  you don’t have to start over if it is breached. All your data can be protected through regular backups.

Conclusion:

Technology is growing rapidly across the world and people are using the internet for everything. From seeking a consultation on a doctor’s website to buying their favorite dessert on a local bakery’s website, people visit many websites every day. And it is important to protect your website from any threats. Using the above tips, you can  protect your website from  suspicious activities. As mentioned in the article, cyber attacks are unpredictable so you need to be aware of all the possible threats. To do this, you can use  tools that send you notifications and prompt you to take necessary actions. This helps you  minimize the threats and keep your website safe. Moreover, not taking website security seriously can result in huge losses. Once your website  data is compromised even once, people will be hesitant to share their information or buy from your website.