5 Simple Methods Of Ensuring A Secure Website

Hackers have become more creative and are always finding new ways to compromise websites. As a webmaster in today’s world, it has become increasingly important to keep your site secure from malicious attacks.

Having expertise that comes with a degree in cybersecurity would certainly be helpful, but for those without one, knowing how to prevent malicious attackers from compromising your site can be overwhelming. Below are a few general recommendations to help secure your website.

Moving to HTTPS

Migrating your website to HTTPS can be a simple method of increasing the security of your website. According to Google, HTTPS prevents intruders from interfering with communications between your site and the user’s browser. Intruders can be anyone from legitimate businesses such as hotels or even ISP’s to malicious hackers. Unwanted intruders can exploit non-secure communications to acquire sensitive information, install malware, or even insert advertising into your website without your permission. Any non-secure request can reveal information about the behavior and identity of your users, even on websites that do not handle sensitive information.

Keeping Software Up To Date

Ensuring that your software is up to date is a crucial component of keeping your site safe. This can apply to your server operating system and any software running on your site. If you are using a CMS, take WordPress for example, there will likely be notifications when new security updates are available. If an update is available, ensure you have it.

Hackers are usually quick to exploit holes in website software when they are discovered. Staying on top of security updates can greatly reduce the risk of these malicious attackers being able to compromise your site.

Website Security Software

In some cases, it may be beneficial to invest in website security software. These programs will scan your website and detect vulnerabilities. Often times, these programs are even available to fix these vulnerabilities. Website security software can provide peace of mind that your website will not be vulnerable to attackers. Here are some examples of security providers:

• Sitelock – Sitelock can scan for vulnerabilities, detect malware, eliminate backdoors, and prevent attacks such as DDoS.
• McAfee Web Gateway – McAfee’s Web Gateway provides security for all aspects of web traffic, ensures security of content uploaded to your site, and prevents malware.
• StopTheHacker – StopTheHacker can detect and remove malware, tell you about malicious code that has changed webpages, and prevents phishing.

Error Messages

Webmasters are always looking to avoid website errors, but they happen to even the most robust of websites. It may be hard to believe, but even a small bit of information in an error message on your website can tip off a potential attacker.

For example, an error message can reveal details about your presentation layer, which can give attackers insight on where to look for vulnerabilities. It is recommended that you show users a very short and generic error message in order to prevent attackers from gaining information on how to compromise your site.

Passwords

Making sure your passwords are secure seems simple and rudimentary, but is still one of the most common ways that websites are compromised. It is typically recommended to avoid passwords that are in some way related to your personal information.

If a hacker is able to acquire a bit of your personal information, it will become more likely that they will be able to guess your password. A password generator can be a very useful tool to make your website much less vulnerable to attacks.

These tips will go a long way in assisting you to make sure that your site is secure. Some of them may seem obvious, but many webmasters don’t realize the effect they can have on site security. Malicious threats don’t seem to be going away any time soon, so site owners must remain vigilant.