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If you want to know about the significance of website security, you need not go far. You can consider the infamous case of Equifax. The confidential data of as many as 143 million Americans were compromised. Although the attempts were unsuccessful, the company had to bear a significant loss as its stock value took a serious dip. It is an indication that website protection isn’t just limited to security. It also means being intelligent about the bottom line.
Almost every day, small businesses come across their fair share of roadblocks, and cybersecurity happens to be one of them; in fact, a significant one. Whether it is determining the risk their business might run into to getting a suitable weapon for pacifying it, it is important to protect the website from any unauthorized users.
Having said that, as one gets into the knotty gritty of website vulnerabilities, one might end up being confronted with complex concepts and solutions. But there are various website security measures that you, as a small business, can take up. Let us find out what they are:
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What is the best Website Safety Best Practices?
Safeguarding your business assets is an important task, and what is better than adopting the best website safety practices? So, below we have compiled a list of six website security measures and how it helps in securing your data:
Get a Vulnerability Scanner
Getting a vulnerability scanner will show where your site is lagging, and which areas require your attention. If you have a good enough scanner, it will even suggest how to rectify those vulnerabilities. This is an important step as a scanner acts like a malicious actor, so it explores the entire network looking for loopholes and then finding vulnerabilities that it can leverage.
Vulnerability scanners can be severely technical and demand a skill set that might be outside of your expertise. So, if you are not technical, using a user-friendly vulnerability scanner is better.
Encryption with SSL
Another important measure you can take up for website security is installing an SSL certificate. You might not have realized, but you would regularly see SSL while browsing the web. An SSL certificate is what gives the ‘S’ in HTTPS and the green padlock in the website address bar. The certificate is responsible for encrypting the data transmitted between the central and recipient server.
If your business accepts card payments, sends confidential information, or requests passwords, having an SSL certificate is a must. It allows secure transmission of sensitive data and prevents hackers from getting any access to the user’s sensitive data like login credentials or financial data. Data that is not subjected to encryption is always at risk of being compromised.
If you have a website with multiple domains, you can opt for a Multi-domain Wildcard SSL certificate. With just one certificate, you can secure unlimited domains and subdomains.
Keep Sensitive Pages off Google
Various websites contain admin page (s) that are usually considered better to keep out of public reach. In fact, admin pages generally show the areas of your website that the hackers might be after. So it is natural for you to keep access as difficult as possible.
One of the best ways to ensure that is to keep these pages off Google. This is not a difficult task, especially if you don’t have many links to that website. Adding a simple Disallow: command to your robots.txt file is all you need to do.
Opting for a Secure Host
The key to securing your website is making correct decisions while opting for a hosting web service. It is because the backbone of your website is hosting service, as it is how you can have a live website in the first place. Your website wouldn’t exist literally without a host.
A good website builder of all times offers a free SSL certificate with all the plans. So, all you need to do is ensure selecting a service that knows about all the potential risks and is dedicated to offering website security to your business. A free SSL not always worth, better option is to go for a Cheap SSL Certificates like Comodo PositiveSSL Certificate.
Apart from this, your hosting web service must also back up your data to a server and make it seamless to restore the data in case the site gets hacked. Again, opting for a web host that offers 24/7 technical help is recommended.
However, if you need robust security, you can pay extra for an advanced SSL certificate like a multi-domain wildcard SSL certificate. You can get them at different prices.
Duo Security – Two-Factor Authentication
To protect your website against a targeted attack such as brute force login, you can opt for a simple security solution that goes by the name of two-factor authentication. Although other measures in this list prioritize your website’s security, this solution ensures that those who can access your site security tools, such as administrators, are only the person who can do so and not any other party who gets authorization.
With the help of two sources, two-factor authentication will secure confidential data and files for confirming the identity of the user who is logging in to your website, such as a chosen passcode with push notifications on a personal device.
Managed Security Services (MSS) refer to outsourced cybersecurity services that organizations use to monitor and manage their security posture. MSS providers offer a range of services, including threat detection and response, vulnerability scanning, security information and event management (SIEM), and security consulting.
Tighten The Network Security
If you think you have a secure website, wait until you comprehensively analyze your network security. The employees in your business who use the office’s system might accidentally create an unsafe pathway to your site.
You can consider doing the following to eliminate the risk of giving access to the server of your website
- Ensure all the computer logins expire quickly in case of inactivity.
- Make sure the system informs users every three months of password changes.
- Check if all devices connected to the network are scanned for malware every time they are connected.
These are some of the best website security measures you can take up to protect your small business.
Final Thoughts
For any website owner, their website is the main channel of interaction with their customers; therefore, having a secure website not just builds reputation and trust to them but also gives the sense of secure browsing. However, an unsecured connection has the risk of ruining your reputation.
Also, it wasn’t too long before many businesses had limited online reach. However, with the development of WordPress and Laravel, businesses have improved their online reach significantly. Unfortunately, this opportunity is leveraged by hackers to steal the data and ruin your reputation.
