Digital presence has become paramount for each and every type of business. It doesn’t matter whether you are selling any product or service on the online platform or not, people are going to search for your company’s name on the online platform before buying your product and that’s why you need to be present on the digital platform. Those days are long gone when being available on the internet was an option for most of the business as in the current technology-driven era, the online platform has become a complete world in itself.
Being available on the digital platform through a business website allows your business to target a new market in an easy, effective, and efficient way. If you will pop up on the first page of search results when people will search for products related to your business then your chances of growth will be maximum. That’s why more and more businesses are now moving to the digital platform by building a robust, responsive, attractive and easy to use the website. Along with the easy targeting and being available for potential customers when they search for your company, you can enhance the authenticity of your business as well by being present on the online platform. But in order to capitalize on the benefits of the digital platform through a business website, you need to stay safe and secure as well.
With the evolution of the technology, modern-day hackers and evil-minded people have also evolved and every day, they come with new ways of breaching your data and taking control of your website. You will be surprised to know that in the U.S alone, more than 30,000 thousands of websites infected on a daily basis. If your website will not have 360-degree environment then you will never be able to work at your peak efficiency and fuel your business on the advantages of digital platforms. Therefore, in this blog post, we will be looking at some of the ways through which you can keep your website safe and secure and have peace of mind regardless of which type of trend of hacking is spreading over the internet.
Update and keep updating
This is one of the most basics things to do with a website and yet there are many websites that are compromised because of outdated software systems. You should know that it is very much important for you to update your website as soon as a new plugin is launched or a new CMS version arrives in the market. Most of the updates in such systems are made to upgrade the security in order to tackle the latest threats or wipe out the security loopholes. If you will put such an important task in the to-do-list then you will put your website on risk.
The majority of the attacks on websites are automated and the bots keep on crawling on every site for finding security loopholes. Therefore, you should use a system through which your website gets updated automatically as soon as a new patch arrives. So, the most basic website security measure is the most important one and you should never delay updating your website if you are not using an automated system.
Passwords
There are many aspects of a website that keeps it the ultra-secure and strong password is one of them. Many people ignore the importance of choosing a strong password and that’s where they create a golden opportunity for hackers to take control of their website and use it at their will. Most of the website designers have reported that whenever they log in to the server of their clients to manage their website, they find out how weak passwords have been chosen by their clients.
The cases of breached passwords are increasing every year and therefore, you should never take your password lightly. You will be surprised to know that hackers use dictionary words for generating a long list of potential passwords and if you have chosen a password from that list, then it is just a matter of time when your site will be compromised.
You should never use the same password for different platforms and you should also choose longer passwords that include alphabets, numeric letters, and special characters. You can also take the help of a password manager like LastPass or KeePass 2 in order to make secure your website will not be compromised because of the password.
Keep an eye on SQL injection
One of the most common attacks on websites is SQL injection in which the attacker uses a web form field or URL parameter in order to gain access to your database. You should know that when you use standard Transact SQL then it becomes easy to insert rogue code into the query so that it can be later used for changing tables, access data and even delete them. If you want to avoid SQL injection attacks on your website then you should use a parameterized query. The majority of web languages have this feature and it is very easy to implement it.
The numbers of SQL injection attacks have increased drastically in the past year and it’s mainly because of its severity of the damage. If you want to understand SQL injection attacks in simple words then you can take it as a form of attack that uses the loopholes in the website’s input channel in order to target the database that sits in the backend of the web application where the most sensitive business data is stored. In the worst-case scenario, hackers can get administrative access to your database by SQL injection attack. In order to stay safe, you should validate input strings on the server-side and use command parameters as well.
Schedule regular backup
One of the most important questions asked by the majority of website owners is how frequently they should back up their website. The best answer to this question is how frequently you should update your website? If you are updating your website everyday then you should backup your website everyday as every single change should have a backup if you want to stay safe and secure on the online platform. Along with this, you should also keep a copy of at least the past month.
But you should not make backup a DIY project in every case because if you have a very complex website configuration then you will need the service of an IT professional who can adopt the right backup method for your complex website. For example, if you have multiple servers that host the different functions then you will need a separate backup schedule.
If you are using an open-source technology like WordPress, Joomla, ExpressionEngine, Magneto, Zen Cart, etc, then you will always be at the risk of getting hacked. A backup will act as a precautionary measure and you should never forget it, especially if you are frequently updating your website.
Sensible User Access
This security tip is useful for only those websites that have multiple users or logins. It is very important that all the users have appropriate permission then need to do their tasks. If special permission is needed in some cases, then you can grant it occasionally. But you should never forget to reduce the escalated permission once the job is done. For example, if someone shows interest in writing a guest blog on your website then make sure that the account of the guest blogger doesn’t have full administrative powers. The account of the guest bloggers should be limited to accessing and editing his own guest posts as there is no need for them to change anything on the website.
If you will have carefully defined user access and full control over it then it will minimize any chance of security breach due to multiple user access as there are many causes of a security breach due to carelessness in user access. By having a sensible user access system, you will also be able to minimize the fallout of compromised accounts and can keep your website safe from the damage done by rogue users.
After having a separate account for every user, you should start monitoring their behavior by checking logs and understanding their tendency like when and where they access the website. By using such an approach, you can easily investigate suspicious logins at odd hours and from unknown places.
Keeping your website secure and safe should be your number one priority if you are planning to build a business website because if hackers will get administrative login to your website or get their hands on sensitive business data then it can turn out to be a disaster for your business. Therefore, instead of building your website on your own, you should choose an expert website designer. You can get a long list of some of the best website designers after searching on the internet according to your budget and needs. So, choose an expert and stay secure while capitalizing on the benefits of a business website.
Author Bio
Kashyapi Prajapati has been involved in the world of accounting software, SEO and cloud computing from a very long time and currently, she is working as a lead content writer with Cloudwalks, a QuickBooks hosting company which has economical QuickBooks hosting cost. Cloud computing and SEO is what she eats and drinks.