How to Protect your Website from Cyber Attacks

There is not a day that goes by that we don’t hear news of individuals and organizations whose websites and online accounts are stolen or illegally accessed. One thing we can all agree is that as our technology becomes more advanced, so do the cyber hackers. And they have become more menacing than ever.

So how you make sure that your website is protected against cyber attacks? It takes a great deal of discipline and common sense to prevent it from happening. In today’s article, we give you a rundown of the best tips on how to protect your website from cyber hacking and fraud.

Tips to Protect Your Website Against Cyber Attacks

Tighten security access

Keep in mind, that your website’s Admin portal is the brain of your website and you don’t want these hackers to gain access to it so easily.

• Your username and password should be hard to guess. Here are some simple steps you can follow on how to generate hard-to-guess usernames or passwords.
• Login attempts must be limited to a certain number of times, including password reset sent via email. Email accounts can also be prone to cyber hacking.
• For WordPress users, the default wp6_ database prefix should be changed to something random and hard to crack.
• All devices that connect to a network must be scanned by viruses and malwares once they are used.
• Use a Multi-factor authentication to add another critical layer security to logins.

Admin page should be hidden from public view

You don’t need to have your admin pages indexed by search engines. To hide it, insert a robot_txt file so that search engines can't crawl and list it. Obviously, if they are not listed on search engines, it would be harder for hackers to access them. Here’s a video tutorial on how to add robot_text file.
Update software

Companies often issue new software updates or ‘patches’ mostly to address security vulnerabilities with their current product. These security updates periodically include product enhancements and bug fixes.

It’s important to update your software as soon as it’s available. In fact, 85% of targeted attacks can be prevented if one applies a security patch on their software.

Hackers can monitor thousands of vulnerable websites that they can break into in an hour so it’s critical to patch everything on the day the software update is released. Patch everything, from web servers to plugins or themes.
Add SSL

For websites that require information from their customers such as email addresses and credit card information, it’s recommended to use an encrypted SSL to securely transmit user’s personal information between your website and database.

Installing an SSL will shield any personal information from being accessed while in transit without authority.
Minimize file uploads

Uploaded files can prove to be tricky because no matter how the system carefully checks them, bugs may still get through which can allow hackers to access to your website data.

So the solution here is to restrict access to the uploaded files. Make sure to save them outside the root directory. Use a specific script to access them when needed. Your web host should be able to walk you through on how to have this set up.
Install Security Software

There are hundreds of free and premium security apps that you can install to prevent hackers from accessing your website. They are configured between your data connection and web server and scan every data that passes through it.

These web application firewall (WAF) software provide an additional layer of security by  by scanning all incoming traffic and prevents spam, malicious bots and hacking attempts.
Backup your site regularly

Even if you follow the steps mentioned in this article, always prepare for something worse to happen. It makes sense to keep a complete backup of your website--local and offsite--several times a day.

Make it habit to save files automatically on different backup locations. Aside from having a backup plan, you need to have a disaster recovery plan in place, too.

Make sure that your web hosting provider is also keeping backup copy of your files to ensure that you can access your data in case of hardware failure or power outages.
Be More Security Conscious

Most of these cyber attacks can be averted by incorporating security practices that requires a little common sense and a few security tools. Of course, there’s no telling on how and when these cyber attacks will happen, since any security measures can still be circumvented by the most determined hacker.

Our final advice is to never take security for granted. You might think that your website is not the type of website that hackers notice but it is better to be safe than sorry. Follow the tips we’ve shared in this article, train your staff to use security tools intelligently.

There’s no guarantee that you can veer away from every possible cyber attacks but at least you have prepared yourself from every possible assault that will come your way. Let us know in the comments below of any tips to secure your website against security threats.

About Vodien

Threats of malicious malwares, bots and other security incidents are everywhere, whether we like it or not. The ability to detect and stop them is critical in increasing the protection and security for your website.

With Vodien WebGuard, users can take advantage of server-level scanning and notification technology in real time. It quickly identifies and alerts the users of different forms of website malwares, viruses, bots or anomalies in coding. For any security threats present, it will be compiled into a report and sent to you for review.

Our web security team has developed this scanning technology with an in-depth knowledge and background in website security and they constantly work on improving it as security risks evolve.

Want to know more about our Vodien Web Scanner? CLICK on the link below.