Why website security and back-ups should be a top priority in 2017
Most of us have heard IT specialists talk about website security and the importance of making back-ups. Unfortunately, the threats associated with website security are very real; in 2017, website security and taking back-ups has become more essential than ever for a variety of reasons.
Website Security
Read on to discover why the security of your website and making back-ups is a priority.
Your website might be attacked by hackers
Over the years the internet has become crowded with many types of hackers. The intention of hackers may vary; some hackers will try to steal sensitive information (for example, for financial gain or to clone your identity), while others do it simply to create problems. It is unrealistic to expect that your website is ever 100% secure especially as hackers become more sophisticated and develop new ways of gaining access to sites. Methods hackers might use to gain access to your website include:
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
- Inside attacks
- Password attacks
- Injection
- Spam
- Phishing
- Interception
For any business owner, it is vital to be aware that such attacks will not be good for your company. If your website gets taken down at a vital point or your customers suffer from poor user experience, the damage to your business could be irreparable. Worst case scenario, these hackers could steal sensitive information about your customers, such as credit card details. These events will destroy the loyalty and trust your customers have in your website and business as a whole. Such attacks also have the potential to decrease your ranking in search engines such as Google, which can prove disastrous in a highly competitive business world.
Updates can go wrong
You will become extremely helpless if you lose valuable data on your website due to a mishandled update. Generally, services like WordPress always instruct their clients to keep a regular backup of the website in order to minimise damage. Upon such a loss, you are likely to lose everything including themes, software, backend programming, plug-ins etc.
Malware
Currently, the internet is the home of an enormous amount of Malware. Malware can reach your websites at any given moment if you haven’t taken the necessary security precautions. Downloading malware will result in your website not performing as expected. However, if you have taken a recent backup of your website, you can completely restore your website and minimise the damage significantly.
Accidental deletions
Accidental deletions are a possibility in the IT sector. Sometimes, recreating such files may take hours, if not a day. Although such incidents are rare among professionals, human error does happen from time to time. This is when you will need the assistance of a comprehensive backup.
What is the solution?
Update regularly
Make sure that you regularly update software such as CMS. This will ensure that such software is more secure and bug-free.
Use HTTPS (SSL)
By using an SSL connection, you can encrypt the data that transfers between the server and the browser. This is a good way to keep the hackers away from sensitive information that your website has stored.
Back-up often
Make sure that you maintain an off-site backup. The time you spend backing up your website is an investment. Be sure that these backups are stored securely.
If you’re worried about how your website is performing and suspect your website has been targeted, get in touch with Cyber Sushi Design for help or advice, contact us on 01494 356 778.
