Doing business in the modern era has its own complications and requirements. Among such requirements is having a well-designed and secure website in which confidential information is kept. Oftentimes, due to political or financial reasons, hackers manipulate a website or steal its data. Therefore, protecting your website from cyber-attack is of utmost importance. In this article, we are going to provide you with 10 simple tips to protect your website against Cyber-attack so that your website is prone to fewer threats.
Change your passwords from time to time
A simple yet highly effective way to protect your data is to change your passwords from time to time. Using the same passwords for a long time increases the risks of Cyber-attack accessibility to your information. The first thing you should keep in mind is to change your passwords every other month. Remember however to keep the new passwords in a personal file so that you never forget them. When you change passwords regularly, you may not remember the last passwords you have selected and therefore cant’ have access to your information.
Update your software
The programs that you use on your website have monthly or annual updates that you should install. These new updates are improved versions of the programs that you are using and contain high-security protocols that prevent hackers from accessing your data. Not updating your software on time gives hackers the opportunity to steal your information or make your website vulnerable to computer viruses.
Use TLS
Transport Layer Security ( TLS ) is a security firewall that protects your data on the internet. After installing TSL on your system, any communication between servers and web browsers is encrypted so that the data are safe and less prone to attacks. After encrypting and authenticating the data, TLS sends an authentication message to the website owner so that they could decide on verifying or rejecting them.
Install trustworthy software
One way hackers access your data is to create applications that look authentic and licensed. Such applications contain malware that steals or manipulates your data. Every program you install on your system must be checked first. By checking the number of active users and reading reviews, you can easily find out if the program you want to install is trustworthy or not. Just type in the name of the program you want to install on your system and google it. If it is a fake one, there are countless warnings on the internet to alert you.
Be cautious when accepting file uploads
If you don’t limit the upload option, any user will be able to upload files to your website. This comes with certain risks as hackers can send you malicious files or files that have the potential to take your website down. Depending on the nature of your website, you may not need any files from your users. If this is the case with your website, make sure that no user can upload files to your website. If you need to receive files from your users, do through the following steps:
- Make a list of file extensions that could be uploaded to your website
- Define a maximum file size
- Before opening any file, scan it for any possible malware
- Create a separate folder for the uploaded files
Hide pages related to admins
Certain pages on your website should be indexed so that search engines find them easily and list them. However, this does not apply to admin pages. If admin pages are indexed, then hackers can find them and manipulate the information on your website. Therefore, by not indexing the admin pages you hide them from search engines, hence enhancing your website security.
Limit access to confidential information
Websites are not all the time Cyber-attacked by outsiders. In many cases, a team member, due to being fired or admonished, gives off confidential information or manipulates the data so that your website malfunctions. To prevent this, make sure that only highly trustworthy team members have access to the most important information. Also, remember to delete members’ accounts immediately after they leave the company.
Treat error messages carefully
Trying to do regular stuff on your website, you might suddenly come across error messages. Depending on the type of error, you will need to provide some information to the server or apply some changes to your system. This might result in your website malfunctioning or getting out of reach. At other times, the error requires you to allow full exception details. If you do so, your website will be prone to SQL injections. In order to avoid these issues, always search the error code you receive and see if others have received such errors and what they have done to put everything in order. Spend some time on what others have said about that error to learn how to approach it.
Add an anti-phishing extension
Sometimes after visiting a website or opening an email you notice that your system is not functioning well and your website is down. This usually happens after unknowingly visiting a malicious site. An anti-phishing extension is an extension that warns the user that the site they want to visit is suspicious and might harm their data. By adding such extensions, every time you visit a new website, you are almost certain that your website is protected against a cyber-attack.
Keep in touch with a good web design company
Following all the above-mentioned tips will protect your company website against cyber attacks. However, you should be in constant contact with a renowned web design company to make sure that your website is always safe and secure. There are two primary reasons why you should keep in touch with a web design company. First, Web design specialists are highly informed and up-to-date regarding the new Cyber-attack tricks and apps. They can therefore alert you of any imminent danger. Second, in case something goes wrong and your website doesn’t function well, you know whom to go immediately before it’s too late.
Conclusion
This article discussed 10 tips on protecting your company website against cyber attacks. Following these tips will enhance your website security, but it never guarantees it as there are always new Cyber-attack tricks that you should watch out for. To make sure that your website is never prone to any serious security issues, you should have permanent contact with a web design company and ask their specialists to improve your website security from time to time.
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