A lot of people who set up a business website then neglect to take the proper precautions against cyberattacks. All too many assume that their site and data being hacked won’t happen to them, but unfortunately, the likelihood is quite high. In fact, it is estimated that over 50 thousand websites are hacked each and every day, and just under half of the attacks are made on small businesses. What’s disappointing is that only 38% of businesses admit to being prepared to handle a cyberattack. Cybercriminals aren’t likely to go away, so a nonchalant attitude towards cybersecurity won’t cut it. Here’s what you can do to keep your website safe.
Reconsider Your Web Hosting Plan
If you have gone for a shared web hosting plan because it is cheaper in price, you may want to reconsider. Even if the web hosting provider boasts secure servers, you don’t always benefit from them. As the name suggests, you are sharing your server with other websites, and if they get hacked, this means the hacker can gain access to the server that you are using too. Instead, you’ll want a provider that can offer dedicated hosting.
In addition, you could consider enlisting the help of online fraud and cybersecurity protection services like fraudwatchinternational.com who can monitor your website and detect and take down any fraudulent activity before it hurts your business.
Ensure You Use HTTPS Protocol
If you want to ensure your website is secure, and also let your customers know that they are safe when browsing and entering data onto your site, you need to make sure you are using HTTPS protocol. Without this, your website can be easily hacked, and the content can be altered and intercepted. This means a user’s login details and passwords can be stolen, used, and sold on. If you use HTTPS, customers will see a padlock next to your URL and feel comfortable and more trusting of your brand. You can take this one step further by using it alongside an SSL certificate, which is necessary for websites that handle credit card details and names and addresses. Know that Google will also rank you higher for using HTTPS.
Always Enable Updates
In order to keep your security measures up to date, you need to keep any software you are using up to date. This includes things like your content management system, any WordPress software and plugins, and anything else that may require an update. As well as identifying and fixing any glitches or bugs in the software, an update usually comes with security improvements too. As hackers gain more knowledge of how to infiltrate a system as time goes on, software needs to continually update to block any security holes and vulnerabilities. If you aren’t using the latest edition, cyber criminals making use of bots to scan websites will find your unsecure site before you know anything about it.
Although 100% security can never be achieved, it is wise to start taking steps now to make it harder for cybercriminals to succeed in hacking your website.
