How to Secure your Website from Being Hacked

If you’ve had the misfortune of having your website hacked you know all too well the destruction a single hacker can cause. Hackers are more than information thieves; they can ruin your company, target your customers, and create irreparable damage. Leaving your website vulnerable to hackers is like leaving the door to your home open with a big sign that says, “Please steal my valuables. Thank you!”

Don’t fall victim to Internet burglars and secure your website from being hacked with these important tips:

• • Stay updated with the latest hacking threats. Learn the newest schemes so you always know what to look for and how to protect your site against new changes. A simple online search can let you know what Internet thieves are doing to target websites. Online schemes are often complex and extend far beyond junk mail scams. Educate yourself in order to protect yourself.

• If you use a password-based operation, make sure you and your employees change access codes often. Keep passwords harder to guess by using random numbers, letters and symbols instead of the typical combination like a pet’s name or your birth year. Do not send log in details via email or discuss them with anyone unless it is requested by your company’s IT professional.

• • Update your software often. Hackers have the ability to scan websites to search for vulnerabilities. If they notice you haven’t updated your security software in a while, they will pounce. A lot of people ignore software updates when they pop up. Take the time to update and you’ll be saving your site from hacking possibilities.

• Don’t give away all your information at once. Detailed error messages can give hackers clues as to what they need to get into your website. If they’re trying to log and receive an error message, that message should be succinct and read nothing more than something generic like “Incorrect Username or Password.” Some websites let you know that you’ve entered the wrong username but the right password and vice versa. Do not let hackers know that they’re half way there when they’re trying to commandeer your site.

• Install a WAF (web application firewall) to act as a barrier between your server and your site, intercepting any harmful data that’s trying to pass through. WAFs are useful because they give hackers a hard time and make it almost impossible for them to access your website.

With the proper security option in place, you can keep your website safe and keep hackers out.