Today, websites have become the face of businesses, acting as crucial touchpoints for customers. However, the increasing prevalence of cyber-attacks poses significant risks to online businesses. With an average of over 30,000 websites getting hacked daily, website security has never been more critical. This article provides a complete walkthrough of website security from our web design team, including common website attacks, and top strategies to secure your website in 2023.
Understanding website security
Website security involves a combination of preventive and reactive measures to safeguard websites from unauthorised access and cyber-attacks. It encompasses a range of techniques, including firewalls, encryption through SSL certificates, identity and access management, intrusion detection, penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and incident response. With websites being at the forefront of business operations, ensuring website security is paramount.
Are WordPress websites secure?
WordPress is a fantastic website platform that’s become incredibly popular because of the great features and customisability you get. In fact, more than 835 million WordPress websites are currently on the internet – that’s 43% of all websites in the world!
But popularity comes with a cost, with hackers actively targeting WordPress and 13,000 of their sites being attacked each day. For this reason, we’ll specifically cover some strategies for keeping your WordPress website as secure as possible.
Common types of attacks on websites
Almost every business in the world today has a website, and this has led to an exponential rise in cyber-attacks targeting web applications. Several prevalent website security attacks exploit vulnerabilities in websites, including:
- SQL injection: Attackers manipulate web forms or HTTP posts using malicious SQL scripts to gain unauthorised access to sensitive data stored in databases.
- Cross-site scripting (XSS): Attackers inject malicious client-side scripts into websites, tricking users’ browsers into running them and potentially causing harm or damage.
- Password-based attacks: Attackers target user accounts by attempting to guess or crack passwords using automated hacking tools, such as brute force or dictionary attacks.
- Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks: Attackers overwhelm websites by flooding them with traffic from multiple sources, disrupting regular functioning.
- Man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks: Attackers intercept and manipulate communication between two parties, exploiting insecure web data transmission to steal sensitive information.
- Drive-by compromise attacks: Cybercriminals inject malware into vulnerable websites, infecting visitors’ devices without their knowledge or consent.
The most effective ways to secure your website
To protect your website from cyber threats and attacks, consider implementing the following strategies:
- Install an SSL certificate: Enable encryption through SSL certificates to establish secure data transmission, protecting against eavesdropping, password-based hacking, and network traffic monitoring.
- Use a secure host: Choose a reliable hosting provider that offers strong encryption for data at rest and data in transit, along with web application firewalls, monitoring tools, and incident response systems.
- Update your software: Most of the software and plugin updates are security-related, so never put them off. Make sure all your website software is kept up to date, including core updates, theme updates, and individual plugins you use on your WordPress website.
- Prioritise strong passwords: Encourage users to create strong passwords or passphrases, combining numbers, letters, and special symbols. Avoid common password mistakes like using personal information or reusing passwords across multiple platforms. Put limited login attempts on your WordPress website to prevent direct attacks that try guess your login and password details.
- Backup your website: Regularly backup your website and its data to mitigate the impact of malware attacks, such as ransomware or virus infections. Ensure backups are performed in real-time and stored securely offsite, like on a cloud location.
- Use security tools: Employ robust security tools, including threat and malware detectors, web application firewalls (WAF), vulnerability scanners, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). Regularly scan your website for potential vulnerabilities and proactively monitor and prevent security incidents.
Securing your website is crucial to protect your business’s online presence from cyber threats. By implementing SSL certificates, choosing a secure hosting provider, enforcing strong passwords, performing regular backups, and utilising security tools, you can significantly enhance your website’s security posture in 2023. Safeguard your website, protect user data, and ensure a trusted digital experience for your customers.
Build a secure, affordable website with our digital agency!
At Digital Freak, a leading digital agency in Melbourne, we specialise in no-nonsense strategies that are affordable and effective – including website design. Our web development team will help you secure your domain and develop a fantastic and functional website that brings customers in to shop, shop, shop. We can also help you position your brand, build an active and trust-based relationship with your customers, and create and manage all your online content, from your Google presence and video marketing to social media marketing, SEO, and more. Contact us today for expert web design and marketing strategies that are affordable – and make all the right connections.
