When running an online website, the potential that you hold in your hands is vast. Sadly, so is the potential for problems with your website. If you are someone who worries that you might have some issues with website Security, then you should try and keep the following tips and tricks in mind.

Keep Your Software Up-to-Date

First off, make sure that all website software is up-to-date. This means taking the time to look at things like your website management system, such as WordPress, as well as any plug-ins that you might use. You should also look to make sure anything such as website themes or designs are up-to-date, too.

The main reason that you should do this is simple: you longer that you wait, the more likely it is that security flaws will become apparent. Outdated software is vulnerable software: don’t let that become a problem.

Hire a Security Expert

Investing in keeping your website safe should not be something that you see as wasted money. It’s actually safeguarding and guaranteeing your investment. Without someone to watch the security of your site whilst you are dealing with other things, you are actively putting yourself – and your business – at risk.

If you were to run an offline business, then you would want some form of security presence to keep it safe. A security expert is the same for your website: they can help to spot weaknesses and flaws in your business, which will be essential in overcoming the problems at hand.

Server Configuration Files

Make sure that you take the time to look at your Server Configuration Files, too. While this would normally be a job for an IT specialist in your team, it’s important that you look to secure your server configuration files with regular backups.
Should a technical fault or a security threat damage these, then you would need to find a solution to that problem pretty quickly. This helps you to deal with that issue quickly, helping you to ensure that your server is always securely set up, with a backup option should anything go wrong.

Install SSL

Next up, you should look to install a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) system for your website. This helps to provide cloaking and protection for anyone signing in with their website credentials, or when making payments to your website. Put simply, if you do not have the little padlock sign on your website browser, you absolutely need to address this.

If you are not running your website with SSL protection, then you are putting yourself at needless risk. Take the time to stop that problem and make the right choice today: it’s essential to making sure people feel comfortable using your website.

Monitoring Website Activity

Are you not paying much attention to the activity of your website? You almost certainly should. Spend more time looking over the day-to-day activity of your website: it might show you something worrying about how your website is being used.

Take a look at any potential changes which have been made to your files or your website. If something appears to have been changed or edited, even deleted, without anyone on your team knowing how or why, it points to a security flaw which you must address as soon as is possible.

Even small changes can take place without you noticing, so be vigilant.

How Can Social Engineering be Used to Hack Your Website?

One issue that you might not be aware of is that of social engineering: a damaging solution that is often used to attack and damage your website. Social Engineering is the art of encouraging people to give up valuable details, such as asking for usernames and/or passwords when that normally would not be necessary.

Make sure that you deny any requests for login details, as it simply is too great a risk otherwise. If anything does come up like this, be sure to pass it over to your security expert: they can use their experience to verify or validate the request and take the appropriate action.

Is It Good to Have an “admin” Login?

Generally, most websites will just run whilst calling their primary login account “admin” – this is dangerous. We recommend that you try and change any website account that might fall under this kind of username. Make it something complex and challenging.

Yes, it might mean taking a fair amount of time to get the login credentials right. However, it’s very much worth the time and effort. The more that you can do to protect someone from guessing vital login data, the better. Going for complex usernames made up of letters, symbols and numbers might annoy staff at first, but the security benefit of doing so really cannot be overstated.

With these tips in mind, you should generally find it easier to protect your business and avoid any needless damage or conflict from taking place.

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