The Challenges of Website Security Today
Keeping Up with Website Security
Website security has become an even more major concern in recent years, as cybercriminals have increasingly sought to target users through the sites they visit.
While simple updates and anti-virus software can help boot security measures and mitigate some of these risks, it takes far more than that to truly secure a website.
A Comprehensive Website and Application Security Strategy
A comprehensive website security strategy must encompass everything from regular web security audits to robust web security solutions. Implementing all of these measures can be a full-time job in itself, and even then there is no guarantee that a site will not be targeted by hackers.
This is why it is so important for website owners to be vigilant and stay up-to-date on the latest threats and/or retain services and people that do.
By taking proactive steps to protect their sites, site owners can help to ensure that their visitors remain safe, that data breaches do not cause embarrassing situations and sensitive information is lost.
Website Security Checklist
Below is a simple security checklist to follow, though obviously some of these items are not as simple as placing a check by them and calling it a day.
I provide website security, so I don’t want to get too sale’zy here but a managed website hosting service will cover most if not all of these for you.
- Keep Your web server patched with the latest security updates.
- Keep your website and server software up to date.
- Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Regularly back up your website files and databases.
- Run security scans on your website regularly for malware and vulnerabilities.
- Use a reputable web hosting service that offers security features such as DDoS protection.
- Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against common attacks.
- Educate yourself and your team on best practices for website security.
- Stay up to date on the latest threats and vulnerability disclosures.
- Have a plan in place for responding to a security incident.
By following these best practices, website owners can help to keep their sites safe from attack. However, it is important to remember that even the most well-protected site can still be targeted by hackers. As such, it is always important to be prepared for the worst and have a plan in place in case of an attack.
Perform Regular Website Security Audits
By performing regular security audits, website owners can identify and fix any potential vulnerabilities before they are exploited by hackers. This helps to keep their sites safe and secure and protects their visitors from being targeted by cybercriminals.
You May Need a Security Expert
As a website owner, I am going to assume you have a business or service you provide and that business is not website security. So by no means would you be expected to be an expert in the following action items. This is where you need to hire someone whose business is about security. Again a good managed web hosting service can take care of many of these things for you you.
A Technical Website Audit
- Review your website’s architecture and code.
- Identify any security vulnerabilities.
- Analyze the potential impact of each vulnerability.
- Prioritize the vulnerabilities based on their severity.
- Create a plan to remediate the vulnerabilities.
- Implement the plan and test to ensure it is effective.
- Monitor your website regularly for new vulnerabilities.
A Practical Website Security Audit
- Are site administrators using strong passwords and 2-factor authentication when possible?
- Do you have a backup plan in place to protect data against loss?
- Are backups stored in multiple unconnected locations?
- Do you have a service, plugin, or module that keeps up to date with malware threats and regularly scans the website?
- Do you use reputable web hosting services that offer regular security updates to their infrastructure?
- Have you implemented a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against common attacks such as SQL injection attacks and cross-site scripting threats?
- Is someone on your team, such as a developer or web maintenance company educated on best practices for website security.
- Is someone on your team, such as a developer or web maintenance company staying up to date on the latest threats and vulnerability disclosures?
- Does someone on your team, such as a developer or web maintenance company have a plan in place for responding to a security incident?
While these steps can help to make a website more secure, it is important to remember that even the most well-protected site can still be targeted by hackers. As such, it is always important to be prepared for the worst and have a plan in place in case of an attack.
Website Security Solutions
There are a number of website security services and solutions available that can help to keep a site safe. These include web application firewalls, intrusion detection, and prevention systems, and web vulnerability scanners. Many of these are provided as cloud-based services and can be subscribed to for a monthly fee.
Additionally, many web hosting providers offer security features such as DDoS protection and malware removal. By using these services, website owners can help to safeguard their sites against common attacks.
Web Security is a Team Effort
It is important for website owners to educate themselves on best practices for website security. Additionally, it is also important to train any team members who have access to the site on these same best practices. By doing so, website owners can help to ensure that everyone who has access to the site is aware of how to keep it safe from attack.
Additionally, those responsible for a website should stay up-to-date on the latest security threats and disclosures. By doing so, they can be sure that their site is protected against the latest risks.
The Threat is Real
Website security is a critical issue that all website owners need to be aware of. By taking the time to educate yourself and your team on best practices, you can help to keep your site safe from attack. Additionally, by using website security services and solutions, you can further protect your site and its visitors.
