Development of a personal or business website has become easier than ever before due to the availability of easy-to-use web development tools and website builders. But most webmasters and small business owners don’t think that their websites could be a target for cybercriminals or hackers. Website security is something most important that individuals and companies shouldn’t ignore not only to keep business data and info safe but to maintain a strong and reliable online presence as well.
In this digital era, electronic thieves are invisible and fast nowadays and are always in search of your website to steal customer details, especially credit card information.
The goal of this article is to provide you with some actionable data security tips when building a website that can help you keep your website safe from malicious people.
Update Everything
When it comes to ensuring the safety of your website, it is extremely important to update everything related to your websites such as the latest versions of the CMS, plugins, add-ons and website theme, etc. make sure to update your site as soon as a new updated is available and ready to install. If you are not updating regularly, delaying an update exposes you to attack in the temporary period. It is also said by security experts that cybercriminals can scan thousands of websites in a few moments for vulnerabilities to attack and outdated website software can cause a data breach on your website that can cost you more than your imagination.
Switch to HTTPS
By using an SSL certificate on your website, you can encrypt all your web pages to maintain foolproof security not only for your business but for customers as well. Adding an SSL certificate (you can also get a free SSL certificate) allows confidential and sensitive data like credit card details, social security numbers, and login credentials to be transmitted in a safe way. Information and details entered on encrypted web pages are meaningless to any other parties that can prevent a data breach and keep hackers from accessing private data.
Manage User Access
Effective user management can be another best way to enhance data security when building a website. So always limit who has access to your website and its data. If there are more people managing or operating your website, be sure they only have permission to the specific areas of the website. For instance, if you have an employee who is responsible to update content on the website, you should allow him/her access to the website as an author or contributor. Implementation of multi-factor authentication is another best way to manage user access to your website. You can take it further through the .htaccess file.
Choose a reliable hosting Provider
Signing up with a secure and reliable web hosting company is a key element to maintaining good website security. Before buying a hosting plan, be sure that the provider is aware of cybersecurity threats and is also keen to keep your website data in secure hands. Also, ask if they are ready to back your data up to a cloud server which would also be easier to restore in case of any unforeseen incident like hacking or a cyber-attack. Hosting providers should also be ready to provide you with 24/7 technical support in order to get things right when needed.
Tighten Network Security
People, who are using a business network to access the website, maybe unintentionally provide an easy access route to malicious people to reach your website servers to steal important data and information. This is the reason, be sure to use a VPN to make your network security better. The VPN that you decide to choose will ensure several things;
That is the reason, to be sure to use a VPN to make your network secure or ensure several things like;
- Devices connected to the network is scanned for malware
- Passwords are strong and hard to guess
- You change passwords often
- Devices plugged into the network are safe and up-to-date as well
Keep Your Website Clean
Leave no room for hackers to attack your website by keeping its all elements clean. Things like applications, plugins, CMS, and add-ons should be updated and malware-free. You should also remove all unnecessary files, plugins, and add-ons from your website to keep it lightweight, clean, and safe as well.
Back your Data Up
Keeping a regular backup of your data is the best possible way to get all your data back even when your website is hacked or attacked by cybercriminals. You can easily get your website live back on the internet by restoring the last backup prior to the hack or an unforeseen happening. It is better to host your website on a server that regularly backs up your website data and also provides you copies of your site locally as extra protection. Try these backup plugins to make sure of the security of your data.
Disable Features you Don’t Use
Disable all features of your website that are useless for you or you are not currently using. For instance, if you are not using user registration or comments on your blog posts or web pages, you should disable them in order to keep your site secure.
These are some of the steps that can help you save your data and keep your websites secure. Hackers are regularly looking for vulnerable websites so try to keep them away by implementing strict security policies. Try to find the best security tools to keep your website safe from hackers.
Editorial Staff
Noor Mustafa Raza
1 comment
Thank you for sharing this very interesting post with us i really enjoyed reading about it, it is very helpful with