It doesn’t matter if you run a big or small business. Your website can be prone to cyber hackers. If you don’t know how to protect your personal information, it’s hard to find the best advice. A lot of the changes you make can add a level of protection to your website. Here are some simple ways to prevent a potential data breach.
Strengthen Your Passwords
You need to use stronger passwords. Weak passwords can get compromised in the event of a data breach. Don’t use the same word on different websites. It may make it easy to use the same password at every website but won’t protect you from data breaches.
Large companies have suffered from data breaches that compromised millions of passwords for user accounts. If you use the same password on multiple websites, the credentials could be used to gain access to your other accounts. There are password managers that can help you generate passwords. The only password you should remember is the one you used for your password manager.
Keep Your Software Updated
If your website was created from scratch or if you used a free platform, it’s important that every piece of software is updated. CMS providers like Brightcove, Kentico, Joomla, Sitecore, and WordPress work hard to release patches and updates that make their software less prone to attacks. Make sure that you run each of these updates and have the latest version of your website running.
You should also ensure that your reliable antivirus is also updated. If your website has third-party plugins, make sure they’re up to date as well. Many sites use plugins that are no longer updated. Remove any out-of-date or non-updated plugins from your website. The only thing they’re good for is for hackers to use them to access your website.
Add Layers of Security
You need to have additional layers of security on your website to prevent cyber attacks. Your first level of defense should be a web application firewall. This keeps out malicious requests, protects you from spam and informs you about any threats. Web Application Firewalls were only available as hardware programs, but some service providers are utilizing cloud technology to cut down the price of security solutions that were only provided to enterprises.
A cloud-based Web Application Firewall is a great alternative to an expensive security program. These plug-and-play services don’t require an IT team or the ability to learn Internet security. Not every business owner has time to learn about cybersecurity.
Switch to HTTPS
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an Internet protocol that’s used to transfer sensitive information between a website and a dedicated server. Hosting your website on HTTPS protocol means you’re adding an encrypted layer of security to your website. This protects you and users’ data from cyber hacking attempts.
Since HTTPS is necessary for online transactions, the rest of the website should be on HTTPS. That may change with Google’s announcement that HTTPS will be considered as a search ranking factor. Aside from the security aspect, moving your website to HTTPS will greatly improve your search rankings.
Make Admin Directories Hard to Find
One way hackers are gaining access to your website is by going through your admin directories. Hackers use scripts that search all the directories on your web server until they find the “admin” or “login” folder. They enter these folders to compromise your security.
Most CMS service providers allow you to change the name of your folders. Pick names for your folders that won’t be detected by cyber hackers. This can greatly reduce your chances of a data breach.
