Vilnius, Lithuania, September 15, 2023 – Undoubtedly, cyberattacks have become so common in this tech-driven age. The latest statistics show that more than 30,000 websites get attacked every day.
So, how do we deal with these attacks? Is there something doable for safeguarding your business and protecting it from cyberattacks? Continue reading this post for a detailed overview of ways doing which you can protect your website from cyberattacks.
But before that, let’s cover cyberattacks and their common types in brief.
What is a Cyberattack?
A cyberattack is an unwelcome attempt by an individual or an organization to access a computer, system, or network with the intent to steal, change, expose, destroy, or disable information. Cyberattacks can target individuals, groups, companies, or governments.
Types of Cyberattacks:
Common cybersecurity attacks are as follows:
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS)
The DDoS attack distracts the security systems while exploiting a vulnerability. It includes many compromised computer systems attacking a website, server, or other network resources and causing a denial of service for legitimate users or systems. Many a time, these attacks are used together with other methods.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
This cyber attack allows the hacker to inject malicious code, usually in the form of scripts written in different languages, like Java, JavaScript, Ajax, and HTML, into a webpage viewed by other users.
XSS enables attackers to steal session cookies, pretend to be the user, and redirect the user to malicious or unwanted websites. It can also be used to create havoc on social networks, spread malware, and damage websites.
SQL Injection
SQL injection attacks allow attackers to affect the server’s cookies, web forms, or HTTP posts to manipulate data from the database. They gain illegal access to a site’s database by injecting malicious SQL code into forms or input fields.
Malware
Malware is a gateway for hacking a site and taking it over. This malicious software is an intrusive program built to exploit devices for the benefit of an attacker.
They help attackers fool users as well as evade security controls so that these programs can get installed on a device or system covertly. People should use reliable antivirus and anti-malware software to protect their sites and data from malware like trojans, ransomware, and spyware.
Man-in-the-Middle (MiTM)
MiTM is a kind of cyberattack where attackers intercept and relay conversations between two parties who think they are communicating directly with each other. Once attackers come in the middle of the transfer, they can send malicious links or other information to both legitimate participants in a manner that might be undetectable until it is too late.
Phishing
Phishing is fraud in which an attacker pretends to be a reputable entity like a renowned firm, bank, or person in different forms of communication to spread malicious attachments or links. This works to trick an unsuspecting victim into distributing valuable information, such as intellectual property, passwords, credit card details, etc.
10 Effective Ways to Protect Your Website from Cyberattacks
The importance of website security certainly cannot be overlooked. So, here are some ways to circumvent cyber threats and protect your website:
Use Strong Passwords
Having passwords that are difficult to figure out is the primary step to protecting a website. There should be strong passwords containing a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, symbols, and special characters.
Some best practices for having a strong password are long and random passwords that should be changed every now and then. Enabling two-factor authentication also adds an additional layer of security to the login process, needing a second type of authentication besides the password.
It is also recommended to use a good password manager to generate lengthy passwords that are difficult to guess. Password managers use advanced encryption technology that protects passwords from cyber criminals.
Take Advantage of Web Security Tools
Testing the security of your website also works great to protect against cyberattacks. Use online web security tools to monitor your site’s security on your behalf. These software applications act as a hacker attempting to compromise your site and taking advantage of your weak points.
Those who use WordPress should consider Jetpack, All in One WordPress Security and Firewall, and Bulletproof Security. These security plugins help build a firewall around the WordPress site while preventing malware attacks and other cyber threats.
Others can use security software like Avast and Bitdefender to stay safe irrespective of the content management system.
Educate and Train Your Employees
Educating and training employees on the do’s and don’ts of cybersecurity reduces the likelihood of social engineering attempts being successful. They should know what cyber issues the organization faced earlier and what protocols are there for certain threatening events.
Companies should educate them on malware, phishing scams, and other viruses and threats that could potentially enter corporate devices. Also, they should learn different ways of protecting sensitive information and keeping the clients’ data safe.
Set Automatic Backups
Backups of website data on a regular basis are often overlooked when it comes to online security. Some of the leading IT and security executives practice the 3-2-1 backup strategy, according to which there should be three copies of data on two separate media (local and external hard drives) and a copy off-site (cloud storage) for disaster recovery.
In such a scenario, even if an attacker attempts to steal your data, you can simply clean your systems and recover from a recent backup. To make it easier, you should consider automating the backup process so there would be less hassle involved.
Install SSL and Security Plugins
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates are important to secure websites against cyberattacks. SSL encryption secures the transmission of data between a website and its users, making it quite hard for cyber criminals to intercept and steal confidential information like credit card details.
In addition, an SSL certificate gives a website authentication, indicating that it sends information to the right server, not to an impostor. You can get an SSL certificate from a reliable certificate authority and install it on your website.
Security plugins also help identify and secure websites from malware and other cyberattacks. These are especially useful in protecting affiliate websites against security threats, as they must keep sensitive information secure.
Get a Website Firewall
Putting your website behind a firewall is another effective way of preventing cyberattacks. A web application firewall (WAF) is a software system that sits between the internet and your website to monitor and filter incoming traffic for potential threats.
A firewall system can help protect a website from different cyberattacks, including cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, SQL injections, DDoS attacks, etc. Many WAF solutions are available, like standalone products and part of security suites, which you can choose according to your needs.
Switch to HTTPS Protocol
Another good approach is to ensure that your site is running on HTTPS protocol. When a site does not use this protocol, attackers can change the data on the page and access all sensitive information, such as passwords.
The HTTPS protocol protects a website from falling into the wrong hands before an attack. If a cybercriminal attempts to steal any confidential information, HTTPS will prevent this from happening.
It is highly recommended to combine HTTPS with SSL certificates for added security, even if your site is not an eCommerce website.
Choose Reliable Web Hosting Providers
In this day and age, building a website is relatively simpler than many years ago. With the help of a user-friendly website builder, anybody can develop a well-designed website; however, no matter how great a site is, it is of no value if a secure server does not host it.
It is important to select a PCI-compliant web hosting provider that frequently checks logs for access and provides regular backups. In case of cyberattacks, the service provider also partners with you to filter traffic at once.
Furthermore, avoid free hosting services since they come with shared space and compromised speed, all of which are security concerns. Choose a hosting service that will provide you with suitable protection and security.
Conduct Regular Audits
It is somewhat impossible to remove the risk of cyber-attacks; however, you can still put measures in place to keep your cyber protection in check on a regular basis. Evaluate your cybersecurity policies and monitor systems, applications, and servers to ensure your business is completely secured.
Check stored files and download them to see how the recovery process works for your business. Pinpoint any potential vulnerabilities, come up with methods to overcome them, and see if any stored files have been corrupted. Delete extra applications to minimize the risk of cybercriminals trying to steal your data.
Keep Software, Systems, and Devices Up to Date
Avoiding software or system updates could bring serious consequences for your website since attackers look for holes to get in through and gain control inside. So, it is important to keep your website’s platform and software updated.
You can prevent cyberattacks by investing in a patch management system that manages all system and software updates and keeps your system resilient and updated. This involves your site’s content management system, plugins, themes, and any other software used on a website.
Summary
To conclude, saving your site from cyber attacks is critical for the protection of your data and the success of your web presence. With the key steps mentioned above, you can reduce the cybersecurity risk and keep your site secure from all threats and viruses.
Media Information:
Name: Gabija
Company: Cybernews
Email: [email protected].
Website: cybernews.com
Address: Vokiečių g. 26, LT-01130, Vilnius, Lithuania
