Keeping Your Website Secure
Like any valuable asset, websites need to be maintained with care and kept secure, but knowing how to keep a complicated pile of files safe isn’t as easy as locking it in a vault. Securing your website can be a daunting and confusing task, but our goal is to give you some important context and answer your questions. Let's dive into the most common threats to watch out for and the best practices for keeping your website secure.
Common Security Issues
Especially for websites with user information, malware attacks can open you up to thousands of dollars in costs and make you liable for exposing customer data. You can’t defend yourself without knowing what you’re defending against. Let's explore some of the most common forms of website security breaches.
Redirection Attack
In a redirection attack, an attacker will use a URL redirect to relay visitors from your site to a malicious site of their choosing or design. Typically, this occurs when access to DNS records has been breached, or your web server’s administrative access has leaked. It can also occur when out of date plugins have exploitable vulnerabilities, allowing hackers alternative routes to modify your website.
The goal of a redirection attack is to steal your traffic and direct them toward whatever you prefer, often toward a scam or more dangerous malware. Resolving redirection attacks often requires restoring a backup and validating all plugins and DNS records are up to date and accurate.
Ransomware or Data Breach
In a ransomware attack, an attacker has managed to breach your website’s database and access user information. This can mean payment information, addresses, passwords, and other private data are being accessed by the attacker, who may try to leverage that data against you for ransom.
Recovering from a ransomware attack can be stressful, especially if you don’t have recent backups of your data. The first steps are to determine what data has been breached and if users need to be notified. From there you should pursue restoring backups and revoking any lingering access the attackers may have. If your users' passwords were leaked, they should be prompted to reset them.
SQL & Code Injections
SQL and code injection attacks rely on manipulating the interfaces on your website where the users are closest to the underlying code. Most commonly, it involves submitting script data to a form that the website interprets as code and attempts to run. This allows hackers to inject records into your database and manipulate it to their desire. These attacks can only be prevented by good software development practices and up-to-date software.
Best Practices for Website Security
Keeping your website secure is a multi-faceted effort. While you can expend extensive effort, money, and time securing your website, only minimal effort will protect you from the vast majority of attacks. We promise, it's a lot easier than it might seem. Keep reading, we’ll outline the basic practices you’ll need to adhere to.
Keep Software and Backups up to Date
The largest potential vulnerability for your website is out-of-date software. As time goes on, new vulnerabilities are discovered in the underlying software your website is built with. That software receives updates to counteract these vulnerabilities, ensuring it functions as expected. Missing out on updates means potentially opening your website up to these avenues of attack, and denying the protections included in each update.
Part of your routine of keeping your software up to date should be ensuring you have recent backups of your website. Backups ensure you are resilient in case of outage or attack and allow you a reference in case you need to revert changes.
Secure Administrative Privileges
The easiest method for attackers to access your site is via poorly protected admin information. It is critical for you to have secure methods to protect your login information to your web host, your DNS records, your CMS admin, and any other related accounts. In today's age, multi-factor password authentication is a MUST for anyone with administrative privileges.
Being Prepared for Outages
The best security practice you can have is preparation for disaster. Despite your best efforts, like any complicated technology, websites will have unforeseen issues. Being prepared for outages will save you stress, time, and money in the long run. Create a plan for recovery in case of an outage and be sure the responsibilities are clear: who do you contact about website hosting, who do you contact about DNS records, who do you contact about website development/maintenance? Keeping a single person or organization in charge of these responsibilities will reduce communication times and confusion.
Looking for peace of mind in case of an outage? Abstract has been hosting dozens of websites for over a decade and can handle every aspect of your website’s support. Feel free to give us a call and discuss our web services today!