Website security is something every business owner, developer, and blogger needs to consider when they’re creating a website. There’s a theory going around that small businesses don’t need to worry about security as much as multi-million dollar corporate websites. Statistics have consistently proven this idea false, with the most recent data suggesting that 43 percent of cyber attacks occur to small business websites.
We are going to take a look at some of the best ways to keep your site secure against hackers and spammers. Our tips involve securing the people who use your website, having a backup copy of your site, and encrypting data that travels between your business and customers.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication is a method first used by Google to keep users logging into your website secure. After someone creates an account, they will be asked to register a second method of authentication when you log in. Businesses use various authentication methods depending on the situation, but in most cases, the subsequent action involves the smartphone of the person logging in. Here’s an illustration showing the process of multi-factor authentication.
After enabling multi-factor authentication, hackers will have a difficult time breaking into the accounts used by your staff or customers. The reason is that they don’t have access to the secondary device. The extra step to confirm your identity takes a couple of seconds but can save your business countless hours and dollars.
Create a Backup of Your Website
In the event of a cyber-attack, you’re going to want to have a plan to restore your website. Your hosting provider is likely keeping a backup of your site on their file, but there are other options you should pursue in case a hacker breaks through your security plugin.
Start by creating a copy of your website, and saving it on a flash drive or removable device, so you have a physical backup on-hand in case of an emergency. The next step you’ll want to take is saving a copy to the cloud program your business uses. It doesn’t matter if you’re using Google, Dropbox, or something different, it’s generally a good idea to keep a copy of your website nearby for developers and higher up employees.
Use CAPTCHA
Aside from using multi-factor authentication, you can also use CAPTCHA to lock bot attackers out of your website. There are multiple CAPTCHA puzzles you can set up for people who are trying to log in.
The primary purpose of CAPTCHA is to stop spam bots from accessing pages and forms. Consumers who perform an action involving a CAPTCHA box will have to type in the letters and numbers blurred into the background. Since the text is an image and not actual keystrokes, most bots can’t crack the code.
Add HTTPS
HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure or HTTPS is something every single website needs for security. Traditional hypertext transfer protocol is the communication between a consumers browser and your server. When you use a standard HTTP, data is transmitted back and forth, but none of the information is encrypted. If someone were eavesdropping on your wifi or hacking your website, they could intercept the data and compromise both your business and the consumer using their browser.
The best way to avoid this problem is to get an HTTPS, which encrypts the data. Your hosting provider will likely sell you an HTTPS, but this is something you need to implement as soon as possible. Businesses lose credibility and traffic when they are not secure.
Conclusion
These tips are designed to help you build a protective barrier around your website that will keep out most scammers and hackers. Real-time maintenance and drastic unexplained changes in your performance statistics could also indicate that you’re the target of a malicious figure online. If you take the right security measures, you’ll be able to protect yourself in case of an attack. Keep in mind that new threats are uncovered and created every day, and vigilance is the key to a safe website.