You Like Your Privacy, And So Does Your Website
Websites are an excellent feature for businesses of all shapes and sizes regardless of their location. With a site, it is possible for a small, medium, or large corporation to increase revenue and raise awareness of the firm’s brand. However, it is not all picnics and rainbows because websites have flaws. One such flaw is a security breach, something that occurs on a regular basis. Now, you might think that your site isn’t worth hacking, but that is far from the truth. Hackers will attack a host of platforms, and yours could be next. If you don’t want to see a host of sensitive data in a stranger’s hands, now is the time to do something. What can you do, you ask? The answer is to invest in privacy, and here are the website safety basics you might want to consider.
Keep Software Up To Date
Sites are full of software which is necessary to maintain upload and the bandwidth operating speeds. If the software has one chink in the armor, it is the fact that it is vulnerable. Yes, hackers look for out of date pieces of tech and use it as a back door entrance because it has a connection to your server. Thankfully, updates and upgrades are great tools to help fix the problem. The reason for this is that the manufacturers understand the weakness of the product, and they seek to fix it for every new release. So, as long as you keep up with the releases, the software should be strong and secure.
Install Extra Security
Unfortunately, there are going to be gaps in the software that even the manufacturers can’t fix. Hence why they bring out new upgrades at regular intervals. Of course, this means that you will use software which has holes that a hacker can exploit if they wish. And, this leaves the site vulnerable to attack from all types of angles. The key to avoiding this scenario is fortifying the software even more with additional security measures. Take WordPress as an example. Lots of bloggers and companies use WordPress, but it has bugs. With features like BulletProof Security, there is less chance of the bugs being a problem because you can monitor all of the themes and plugins.
HTTPS Over HTTP
For those of you who aren’t fluent in code, the acronyms stand for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and Hypertext Transfer protocol. One extra word might not seem like it makes a difference, but you would be wrong. Why? It’s because the term ‘Secure’ means that the site carries an encryption whenever it receives and collects data. From the business’s point of view, this is essential as it applies to customers and their hard earned cash. Quite simply, websites are platforms that sell products and services, yet no one will buy them if there is no trust. Investing in an SSL certificate makes the site reputable and trustworthy from a consumer standpoint. And, the cost to the firm is very small compared to the money it will recoup.
Tighten Up Customer Queries
Customers have every right to contact the company to air their grievances, and you should listen. What you shouldn’t do is put their information at risk with a slack customer query section. Yes, hackers have been known to mess with businesses by inserting code into web forms that then turns rogue. How can this happen? It occurs when the parameters are open and not tight enough to keep the threats outside. A simple solution is parameterized queries, which isn’t as complicated as it sounds. All you have to do is target the areas that are weak and write specific code to make them stronger. Or, if you are not a coder, ask your team or hire a specialist for the job.
Buy A VPS
Again, if you are not a computer geek, VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. If there is one thing you should know about in the modern age, it’s a VPS. The reason is simple: it keeps your actions private from the other entities. And, when you see the word ‘private,’ it means private with a partner like https://www.iozoom.com. So, every time you browse the internet or store data online in the cloud, your provider won’t be able to see what you are doing. Now, this sounds inherently dodgy as it makes it appear like you have something to hide. However, it is a savvy move, especially when governments don’t think twice about violating privacy laws. At least with a virtual server, there is no need to worry about the CIA snooping on your activity.
Secure Passwords
All of the above does make it appear as if hackers are the only threat to your site, and they are not. Whether you want to believe, either you or your employees are just as threatening. This is because insiders often make mistakes which lead to security breaches, and they don’t even realize. Think about the company’s passwords for a moment. When was the last time you changed them to something different? Any answer that is longer than a week and a half isn’t good. Passwords need changing on a daily to weekly basis to ensure that no one can constantly bypass security protocols. And yes, that does mean every password from email accounts to a login username and secret code.
Lock Down File Access
Some might argue that a lockdown is a step too far, but www.symantec.com thinks differently. Simply put, a website can have as many as tens if not hundreds of people that have internal access. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this number is too high. All it means is that there is a greater likelihood of a person making a mistake that leads to a breach. Instead, a strict lockdown enables you only to provide access to the people that need it and who can be trusted.
For anyone that values privacy, these are the tips for you and your website.
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