(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Securing-Your-Website-copy.jpg alt: Securing Your Website)
**In the light of recent, high-profile hacks on the **(link: http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/02/22/nbc-website-hacked-and-distributes-malware/ text: **NBC website**)** and **(link: http://mashable.com/2013/02/18/burger-king-twitter-account-hacked/ text: **Burger King Twitter account**)**, webmasters are becoming increasingly concerned about the security of their business website.**
You don’t have to be an international brand with a huge reputation – and huge repercussions – to be at risk of a security breach. You may not think that your site has anything worth being hacked for; but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take online security seriously.
In fact, the majority of hacks aren’t an attempt to steal your data or deface your website at all. Instead, they are often attempts to gain access to your server to send spam email or hijack the content on your pages to display malicious advertising.
Keeping your website safe
The best way of achieving better security, is to first identify how a hacker can manipulate your site. Breaches of website security are regularly performed by automated scripts that scour the internet for chinks in your website’s armour.
Here, we look at 7 tips for keeping your business website safe and upping your online security:
1. Update your software regularly
(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/1-software.jpg alt: Software and CMS updates)
One of the simplest ways you can keep your business and website secure is by ensuring that all software is up-to-date. Everything from your server operating system to website CMS need to be updated to avoid any holes in your security.
If you’re using an open-source (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wordpress-cms-for-business/ text: CMS such as WordPress), don’t ignore any update messages. By running the latest version, you can help reduce your risk of unwelcomed security breaches. This is the simplest way to keep your website safe, but something that many webmasters put off.
2. Use complex passwords
(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/2-passwords.jpg alt: Use complex passwords)
We all know that we should use a different password for every account, and that they should all be complex and hard to guess. But be honest, do you really use strong and varied passwords? Many people – including businesses scarily enough – fail to follow this simple piece on online security etiquette.
By enforcing good password practices – such as a minimum of 8 characters, the use of an uppercase letter and numbers – can all protect your information in the long run.
If you have a master programme that stores all your passwords, you need to ensure this is safe and encrypted to further protect your website and server. Using a one-way hashing algorithm and salting all make hacking and decrypting passwords a long and complicated process.
3. Sort out secure hosting
Another way to protect your site is to make sure your hosting is secure.
This means choosing a reputable hosting provider who is security conscious, and has your website’s best interests at heart. This is why it is wise to spend a little more on your website hosting. Opting for the cheapest online alternative could be a security risk, and cost you more in the long run.
Using shared hosting providers can also prove to be risky, as you could be potentially sharing a server with compromised or malicious sites, which could be detrimental to your site. Again, discuss all of these with your web developer to ensure you’re making the best descision.
4. SQL injection
SQL injection attacks are a common breach of online security. These happen when a hacker uses a web form field or URL parameter to access or even manipulate your data base. They do this by placing rough code into your website, and you won’t even notice until it is too late.
This is simple enough for a web developer to help prevent though. By using what is known as parameterised queries, your developer can help to keep your website safe from these kind of attacks.
5. Monitor your error messages
(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/5-errors.jpg alt: Use vauge error messages)
If you have a login form on your website, be careful about the information you give away when a user enters incorrect information.
Believe it or not, the language you use in these error messages can leave you vulnerable to hackers. To keep your business website secure, keep your messages as generic as possible. For example, use messages like “incorrect username or password”; don’t identify which query it is that’s wrong.
This will make life a little more difficult for the hackers. You could also consider ‘locking out’ a particular ip address for a period of time after 3 failed login attempts. Again, this can help boost your online security.
6. Limit file uploads
Allowing users to upload files to your website can make it vulnerable to all sorts of malicious scripts, no matter how innocent or small it may appear. The best way to make your website more secure is to not allow uploads at all, but if you need to there are a number of measures you can take.
These steps can be complicated though, so again, it would be wise to speak to a web developer or digital agency to see how they can help you implement the robust security procedures needed to vet your file uploads.
7. Make the most of free tools
The only way you can really see how secure your website is, is to test it. But don’t worry; you don’t need to find a computer hacker to do this. There are a whole host of paid-for and free security tools that can assist you with what is known as penetration testing.
These tools work in a similar way to the scripts hackers use, and will test for those chinks in the armour we talked about. While these tests can be daunting, they can flag up some issues that need dealing with.
Two free tools we would recommend are:
– (link: http://www.openvas.org/ text: OpenVAS)
– (link: http://www.mavitunasecurity.com/netsparker/ text: Netsparker)
Keeping your business safe online is always going to be an on-going challenge; but by following the tips outlined here, you can go a long way to keeping all your data and information secure. Your website is the most important tool in your marketing arsenal, you need to keep it safe.