Today, the internet, websites, and other digital platforms are redefining how people live their lives. People now find it easier to input vital information about themselves on various digital platforms. A security breach of a website could lead to real-world consequences for its users. As a website owner in Mildura, this makes having the best website security an important aspect of your job.
In this article, we have listed six ways to have the best website security that will help website owners improve their site’s security. These tips will help all kinds of websites, whether they are e-commerce websites in Mildura, business websites in Mildura, or sites serving other purposes.
Do I really need website security?
Absolutely! You don’t leave your house or car unlocked, because you don’t want someone to get in and steal your belongings. Websites are the same. They contain precious data (yours and your visitors) that you don’t want to fall into the wrong hands. Luckily, having the best website security is easy!
Let’s get started.
Ways To Have the Best Website Security In Mildura
1) Make use of strong passwords
Strong passwords that require specific character lengths and the use of numbers and other symbols are an excellent way to protect your website and its users from security breaches. This is because they make it harder for attackers to guess users’ passwords. You should also ensure that everybody with access to your website on the backend uses strong passwords.
Some features of a strong password include:
i) It should contain a mix of punctuation, symbols, numbers, and lowercase and uppercase letters
ii) It should be at least 15 characters long
iii) It must be different from any other password on the website
iv) It should not contain dictionary words
Another thing you can do about passwords is to salt them. This involves an extra input that “hashes” passwords and significantly slows any hacking attempt. Salting also makes hacking an expensive venture since each password has to be hashed separately for every salt.
How long to crack a password?
Want to see how long it would take a hacker to guess your password? Use this password strength checker to see how secure your existing passwords are!
2) Two-Factor Authentication
What is 2FA?
It is a security policy that requires users to enter two different pieces of information before they are allowed to access your website. The goal is to ensure passwords are insufficient to access the website. Therefore, even if unsavory elements have access to your users’ passwords, they still need information, such as a one-time code sent to your users’ phone numbers or emails, to access sensitive information.
3) Activate auto-update for plugins and software
Although this is one of the simplest measures you can take, it can be essential to website security in Mildura. This is because one of the primary ways attackers find ways into your website is via outdated plugins and software. Therefore, it is always essential to keep them up-to-date.
Keeping them updated manually might not be effective due to issues of busyness or forgetfulness. Therefore, activating the auto-update feature that is usually a part of these plugins and software is the best way to ensure they are updated.
4) The Presence of a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate
All websites should have SSL certificates as part of their security architectures. This feature encrypts the information transmitted from your website to the web browsers of users such that it cannot be tampered with, even if an attacker should lay hands on it.
Another importance of this certificate for your website is that it is now a significant feature that search engines consider in ranking a website. This means that an SSL certificate is crucial for your site’s security and affects your site’s SEO. To find out more about SSL and site rankings, check out this article. You can also learn how to get an SSL certificate, including free ones, here.
What does a grey padlock mean in the search bar?
It means the website has an SSL/TLS certificate. Conversely, sites that are not fully secure show an exclamation point in the same location.
5) Input Sanitization
Form input sanitization is particularly important in dealing with two potential attacks on your website: cross-site scripting and SQL injection.
Cross-site scripting involves the insertion of malicious JavaScript code into the input field of your website. What the code is designed to do is to take over the website. However, input sanitization ensures this inputted code is removed from the inputs that into your website’s backend.
On the other hand, input sanitization takes care of SQL code that may be injected into a website to make database changes or to read it. The way input sanitization works for a malicious SQL code is that it prevents the injected code from running, thereby making it unable to carry out its nefarious intention. One difference to note between how “input sanitization” handles SQL injection and cross-site scripting is that it removes the input for the latter, while for the SQL code, it may simply prevent the code from running.
6) Make Use of Firewall and Security Applications
Firewalls and security applications help to defend a website against hackers by placing themselves between the web server and the data connection. They then read all the data that attempts to pass through, filtering out potentially malicious items such as spam and nefarious bots.
You should note that a full firewall is typically more effective than security applications for website security. Here are some of the best website security applications and firewall applications you can get. Go through them to see if any are a good fit for you.
Conclusion
Not having the best website security is a significant issue that must not be taken lightly. Therefore, as a website owner in Mildura, it is essential for you to ensure you hire a web developer that will take your website’s security seriously. The Website Blokes is one of the best business web development agencies in Mildura, and we can help you get sorted with the best website security!