About 30,000 cyberattacks take place every day globally, according to IT Chronicles. This means that hackers attempt unauthorized access to at least one website every 39 seconds.
Website hacks can be expensive to recover. A 2021 data breach report shows that companies used more than $4 million to cater to the costs of cyberattacks.
Whether you are a tech guru or still learning about how to start a blog, preventing your online blog from hackers should be one of your top priorities. A variety of bloggers choose to create their blog via coding on platforms such as WordPress and therefore protect it on their own. But one of the most common and preferred choices amongst bloggers is the Wix website building platform. Wix not only has an in depth guide about how to start a blog, the platform makes sure all of its sites abide by the NIST security standards, therefore assisting bloggers by providing them a high quality, all inclusive cyber security package, rather than having to create plug-ins on an open source site. This article will take you through how to check if your blog site is secure in terms of cyber security.
5 Ways to Protect Your Website from Hackers
“How to make my website secure” is one of the top searches new web owners start with on Google. If you want to enhance the security of your online profile, follow these five tips.
Keep Everything Up-to-Date
Hackers will look for known exploits or holes in software or browsers that they can use to access your website. Keeping everything up-to-date gives you a higher chance of spotting an exploit and closing it before it gets out of hand.
While you might think that software and driver updates may be unnecessary, they always contain significant patches that may help you contain viruses. Moreover, be sure to avoid any counterfeit software.
Use Strong Passwords
Passwords are an essential part of any security plan, but many have weak or easy-to-guess passwords. Use a password manager to create a long and complicated password for each account on your site.
If a hacker is able to gain access, they’ll have a hard time cracking your passwords. Additionally, set up a two-factor authentication that might serve as a backup to your password when logging in from an unfamiliar device.
Use HTTPS
HTTPS is an additional security layer that encrypts information traveling between your visitor’s computer and your web server. It makes it hard for hackers to see what you’re sending, complicating their hacking efforts. Google also ranks websites using HTTPS higher since they are known to be safer for users. Today if you build your website on a managed platform via a website builder such as Wix it will most likely be served over HTTPS by default, making it more intuitive for first time business owners attempting to advance their site.
Avoid Downloading Junk
Malware is a real threat, especially when browsing on a public computer or using a USB drive. To keep malware out of your PC, stay away from junk files or sites that promise you software that’s too good to be true. Before downloading any software or files, start by checking reviews online or installing anti-virus software.
Make Your Domain Name Private
Before you set up your site, or as soon as you have it up and running, get a private domain name. A private domain ensures that hackers can’t buy or otherwise access it. It could cost you a few dollars but it’s nothing compared to losing your website.
How to Check if a Website is Safe
Once you secure your site, take various steps regularly to test the security of your site. Here are some ways to check if a website is safe:
Scan Your Site for Malware and Vulnerabilities
Malware comes in many different sizes that can harm your device or steal your website data. Make sure the gadgets you use to manage your site are safe by using reputable antivirus software. Moreover, perform regular scans with your antivirus on your computer or smartphone.
Monitor Site Performance
There are dozens of web monitoring tools that can help you see the activities happening on your site. The most common tool for web monitoring is Google Analytics, through which you can assimilate your code for free and start tracking your site’s ranking and traffic levels on Google. Being alert to your site’s performance rates can help you identify and solve problems before they cause serious damage. A web host with dedicated servers and DDoS protection will automatically handle many of these issues for you if you report them early.
Check Whois Data
When a website is registered, there’s some information left behind in a database called a whois. The whois shows details like who owns a particular site and the country it’s located in. If your website is being used for spammy purposes, checking domain registration info can shed light on those responsible for trolling around cyberspace making life miserable for others.
Visit Google Search Console
Google Search Console, formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools, allows you to monitor a wide range of information about your website. It helps you see your page indexing status, crawl errors, and even keywords that lead people to your site.
To use it, first set up an account with Google Search Console. Once logged in, head to Crawl Errors and search for 403 Forbidden under Status Codes. If you find any instances of 403 Forbidden errors with no referrer information, try to fix them.
Conclusion
No one knows where or when a cyberattack or a serious security breach will happen, but it’s important to keep in mind that you are never 100% protected. However, you can reduce risks by being cautious with what you do online and learning about what to do during a cyber attack, as well as to choose an appropriate website builder like Wix that can manage and maintain optimized security for your site. Do not type in sensitive information like passwords and social security numbers. Update all your devices and avoid clicking on links that look suspicious. Most importantly, scan your website and gadgets regularly to detect malware and vulnerabilities on time. Hopefully by being more aware of the implications of weak website security, you will be more equipped to respond to cyber attacks quickly and efficiently.
