In no particular order, here are our top 6 tips to keep your website safe and secure.
1) Get an SSL
We wrote about the importance of having an SSL earlier in the year in this article.
In short, as well as Google marking your website as secure and giving your customers piece of mind while browsing; an SLL establishes an encrypted link between your webserver and the user’s browser. This ensures that all data passed between the two remains private and confidential.
2) Use complex passwords
A very common method of how email accounts & websites get hacked is through Brute Force attacks.
Brute Force attacks use a trial and error method to gain access.
The attacking software will try multiple combinations of common passwords: i.e. Password123, Password0, Password2, [your business name], [your business name]1 etc.
Long and complex passwords help prevent this.
3) Keep your website (& plugins) up to date
It’s important to keep your website’s software and external-software (plugins) up to date as, most of the time, updates released by the developers are brought out to combat the latest hacking trends/software.
For WordPress, after version 3.7.0 the core software autoupdates whenever WordPress release the next version – however most plugins will still need to be updated manually.
4) Add a recaptcha to the login panel
This doesn’t have to be Google’s ‘tick this box’ software, but just something that can help deter harmful bots from trying Brute Force or other attacks.
5) Don’t write your passwords down
It’s easy for potential passers by to grab the notepad that’s left on the desk called ‘Book of Passwords’ or the sticky note on the monitor with the access codes.
If you do keep a booklet, make sure that it is kept in a locked & secure place.
6) Outsource where possible
We’d recommend to use third party software where you can. For example, if you have an online shop, use payment gateways like PayPal or Stripe. If you collect emails for marketing purposes, use a company like Mailchimp.
The more you can offload on third parties, the less risk and less-of-a-target your website will be!
We hope you found this useful, please share!
