As soon as you launch a website online, you must gear up with the requisite amenities and steer away from the prevalent cybercrime. There are more than 300,000 hackers in the cybercrime community, and the amount of online criminal activity surfacing the websites is high. This generally happens when you have a lack of basic information about security on a website. Once a website is hacked, it becomes challenging to repair, and it can consume the bulk of your precious time.
Here, in this blog, we will walk you on in-depth knowledge to secure your website in real easy ways, which would not burn your wallet.
Table of Contents:
- Types of Cyber Attacks
- Install an SSL Certificate
- Installing Secure Plugins
- Update Your Website Periodically
- Make Use of Robust Username and Password
- Invest in a Reliable Backup Solution
- Restrict File Uploads
- Verification Authentication
- Try Minimum Logins
- Use Google Analytics
- Set Up Google Search Console
- Block PHP In Folders
- Disable Option on Dashboard and Disallow Plugin
- Lock Down Your Directory and File Permissions
Types of Cyber Attacks
For starters, let us get complete cognizance about this term and understand the two different types of attacks as we work on websites.
- Keylogger Attack: The system is used to lock your keystrokes and identify your ID and password. This generally takes place when you click on random Ads and unknown links sent by spammers.
- Brute-Force Hacking: In simpler terms, this is where hackers guess your password based on ‘hit and trial’. If the hackers know what kind of keyword you used on the web page or any other search bar, they can guess your password using a different algorithm. When you have a simple password for the website, you can fall easy prey to their attack.
13 Easy Steps to Secure your Website from Hacking:
No matter how vile the cybercrime world runs out there, if you have the right knowledge and security protocols stacked up, you might emerge untouched. Now, let us begin with the basic to advanced steps to secure your website from hacking.
- Install an SSL Certificate for secure your website
If you want to deliver your customers a safe, and secure environment, away from any spam or phishing alerts, then you should install an SSL certificate. SSL will encrypt all your data in transit- be it your customer’s card credentials, financial information, or any of your login passwords.
The green padlock that you see before the domain address is the symbol of SSL activation, which turns your website from HTTP to HTTPS. You can get an SSL certificate from a multitude of online service providers or website hosting companies. Also, some of the companies provide free domain as well.
- Installing Secure Plugins for secure your website
This is the most critical step while installing your site on WordPress. Once you get yourself an SSL Certificate, the next step will be to install the right security plugins. The thing about professional hackers is that they know about the recently launched sites that lack the highest protection form, making it incredibly easy for them to pilfer the data.
Therefore, before installing the plugins, check the review and rating. It is advised to use recommended plugins; however, refrain from using them much that might make your website heavy. Moreover, you can always try out Wordfence or WPscan – these are two great options for ensuring security.
Once you install these plugins, you can find them on the WordPress dashboard to check the features and use them efficiently. Most of the plugins perform automatically and give you the best experience with their features. There are also tools that provide automatic scheduled backups for one or more WordPress websites.
- Regularly Update Your Website to secure your website
Once you set up your websites with an SSL Certificate and install plugins, the next major step will be to update your site on a regular track. One of the biggest mistakes that people commit is by ignoring the due updates and hiding them away.
This makes your site instantly vulnerable and gives countless opportunities to hackers to attack the website and steal away valuable data. Therefore, ensure that you should update your website from time to time. This simple strategy will help in protecting your website from hackers.
- Make Use of Robust Username and Password for secure your website
As previously mentioned about the brute-force attacks, make sure that your username and password are extremely strong and unhackable so that no one can guess it right. Try adding signs, symbols, alphanumeric characters, a right mix of upper cases and lower cases, and make it a tough amalgamation of all of these. Also, try to update these passwords once in three months as a good practice for safeguarding security.
- Invest in a Dependable Backup Solution to secure your website
It will be a daunting task to affix your website once it is hacked, and it can take a lengthy, cumbersome procedure to get it done. However, if you have a backup restored, this makes it possible for you to save all your data from getting lost. Now, you may say, most hosting companies provide backup support to their customers, but those are not always relied upon.
Sometimes, their copies don’t function correctly, and you should figure out what can be done in the long process to restore your data. To get your backup fixed, you can try out using the WordPress plugin, UpdraftPlus, or WP Vivid.
- Restrict File Uploads for secure your website
Just in case your site has the option to upload images in the comment section, you might have to take extra precautions. This feature is generally enabled with some plugins you installed. These uploads are stored in your database, and if there is a bug, hackers can easily upload that file. To take defense from this, you should reset your files and put them in another folder that doesn’t affect the database. If this makes it complicated, you can take help from the hosting company or personally contact the developer.
- Verification Authentication to secure your website
This, too, is an excellent method of validating data. In this method, the user has to verify an OTP (one-time password) before logging into the website. This will then be sent to the attached number. You will find these types of verification on Gmail and other robust security websites. You can also use your website by using WordPress Google Authenticator. The password would be sent to your mobile number or e-mail address.
- Try Minimum Logins to secure your website
By using brute-force attacks, hackers try out thousands of different ways to log into your website and try to crack your website’s dashboard. So, it is recommended that you use limited attempts to your login password. Additionally, you can use MalCare on your website and access it seamlessly. This is a handy plugin for your website and helps you to protect your website from hackers.
- Use Google Analytics to secure your website
Google Analytics is a big time saver. By installing this plugin to your website, you can easily access your website’s overall traffic and analyze the complete graphic detail of your website. This includes the number of visitors per day, time spent by them on your site, and the number of conversions.
- Set Up Google Search Console for secure your website
Google search console is one of the best tools you can get from google. Using this tool, you can quickly check where your website pages rank in the Google search results and which keywords help you rank higher. This tool also provides you with security issues alert that enables you to see whether there is any threat or not.
- Block PHP In Folders for secure your website
PHP is a computer language that is used in WordPress and enables the use of commands. These language codes should not be appearing anywhere else. So, if you find the PHP in another file, then you must be alert right away. Look into the folders and take professional help if you wish to. Hackers can not only control your file, but they can access all your other WordPress folders as well. Try using the BlogVault plugin; you can easily change this permission and block PHP in other folders.
- Disable Option on Dashboard and Disallow Plugin:
In the WordPress dashboard, you can see the edit option on the Home Page. This edit option allows you to edit the codes of installed themes and plugins. Additionally, you can leverage relevant plugins to your websites. First and foremost, refrain from using too many plugins on your website because this makes your website heavy. Refrain from installing plugins from an untrusted source, as it can crack your website easily. So, you must disable plugin installation and disallow untrusted plugins too.
- Lock Down your Directory and File Permissions for secure your website
Getting your file permission right is the most critical factor that helps to secure your website. If your files do not have permission to access, they can be hacked easily by outsourcing. Therefore, changing file permission helps you to protect yourself from attacks.
That is a Wrap:
Setting up your websites and enabling them with the right plugins and tools does not complete your task for the day. You will also have to update from time to time. Further, your online presence’s responsibility increases because you add new things, and you need to streamline your additions and analyze them properly. The best way to secure your website from a hacker is by deploying the right strategies at the right time. In the end, the satisfaction and trust of a customer are all the matter. And with deploying the right tactics, you can win their trust in no time.
