Security Tips to Help Protect Your Website from Hackers

Hackers are a website owner’s nightmare – they can get into your site and steal information, edit your site as they please, leave malicious malware and viruses, and even render your site completely useless in the worst case scenario. For any website owner, having the right security measures in place in order to protect your site from hackers is crucial. The need for strong levels of security is even more vital if you run an online store – hackers could potentially get access to thousands of customers’ information and even banking details, which could result in many different problems for you. Whether you’re just starting out designing your website or have been running a website for a while and want to increase your security, read these top tips to keep your website secure from hackers.

Keep Software Up to Date

Ensuring that your software is regularly updated may seem obvious, but you’ll find that it’s a step that many website owners can overlook, especially if there is no notification about the impending update that needs to be done. Keeping software updated applies to both your server software as well as any software that you may be running on your site such as a forum or CMS. Hackers are usually quick to attempt any security holes found in website software, so not regularly updating the software you use can make you an easy target. If possible, set automatic updates – and ensure that you check for updates regularly if you cannot set it to update automatically.

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Error Messages

If your website requires users to sign in using a username or password, you should be very careful as to how much information you give away in error messages. Using generic error messages such as ‘The use name or password was incorrect’ or ‘incorrect login information’ should always be used in order to deter hackers who may be attempting to access a customer’s account. Specifying which part of the login they got wrong means that they’ll know which part they’ve got right – making it easier for them to hack in. If you have a login feature, you may want to consider adding extra security, for example if a user enters incorrect information a certain number of times they are unable to try again.

Passwords

It’s a well-known fact that the passwords that you use online should be strong and hard to guess, however the majority of people do tend to ignore this – after all, a password that is hard to guess is often also hard to remember, and forgetting important passwords can be extremely inconvenient. However, having weak passwords for your server and website admin can result in you being an easier target for hackers. You might want to consider implementing password software, or choosing a password that is strong but only you would be able to guess. If you’d like to develop your website security skills further, check out the courses available at commsupportnetworks.co.uk.

How do you keep your website secure ad protected from hackers? Leave your response in the comments.