Whether it is for a large corporation, small business, hobby blog or personal portfolio, your website is a vital point of contact with your brand’s audience. Without undertaking the necessary security measures, your website can become a target for hackers attempting to steal data or hold it for ransom. Malware can have a devastating effect on your brand, especially if you’re an e-commerce company as it can translate to revenue loss. Here are a few tips to keep your website secure.
Use complex passwords
This might seem obvious, but you’ll be surprised by the number of people who still use basic passwords such as their date of births or ‘Password’ for secure logins. Secure passwords should comprise of random words, special characters and figures. This way, it will be next to impossible to hack such a password using brute-force software. Management apps enable you to set complex passwords. You do not have to remember these as they can be entered automatically.
Update all software
All your software must be updated regularly, regardless of the hosting platform you use for your sites. Check regularly for updates to plugins, operating systems and other software. These updates are critical and may include security lapse fixes, which can leave your site prone to attacks if not updated promptly. Hackers use special software to scan thousands of sites looking for those with vulnerabilities, so you need to be ahead of their game.
Use a firewall
There are several types of firewalls. Some are solely software and others are hardware-based. A web application firewall is effective in analysing traffic to your websites and preventing hacking attempts. It’s advisable to use artificial intelligence such as Chatbots when transferring and storing sensitive data. For e-commerce sites, you should simulate an attack so that you can identify vulnerabilities and fix them quickly.
Backup regularly
If all other precautions fail and you are hacked; a recent backup will ensure you recover. Set automatic backups using a system that saves your data multiple times daily. This way, you’ll be able to isolate the problem so that you can fix the vulnerabilities. Backups must be on-site and off-site so that you can fully recover even from the worst attacks.
Apart from hackers, websites are also vulnerable to malfunctions or natural disasters at the host data centres, which is why it’s crucial to backup data, use a firewall and update all software; increase your website security. Treat your site like your office and keep it secure.
