Do you know almost 18,729 unique U.S. domains hacked by the attackers in February this year? The data reveals that a majority of those attacks were crypto jacking and targeting government sites. While it is just the number of attacks in the U.S., countries like Indonesia and South Africa follow it with almost 5,000 hacks.
When the site masters are less aware of the latest developments and threats in web design system, it gives hackers a chance to utilize the site vulnerabilities. Statistics show that the number of attacks on websites goes up consistently by over 30% per year. When the numbers are giving a clear warning, you should put some extra efforts to protect your site from any malware attacks and hackers. If you are confused about how to execute it, here are the ways.
1 Keep Everything Updated
You should keep your website, workstation, software, applications, and anything you use for your web platform updated. It helps you to keep your website safe from any vulnerabilities that can easily be exploited by the attackers. If you are using CMS platforms like WordPress, you should give top priority to update the software to the latest versions all the time. Do you know most of the site-specific cyber-attacks are targeting WordPress sites in the recent years?
A report published by Sucuri confirms that WordPress sites experienced almost 83% of the total malware attacks on various CMS platforms in 2017. You should pay attention to update any plugins and themes you installed as well. Google reports that unpatched or outdated themes are a severe threat to CMS websites.
2 Backup the Site
There are situations where your best efforts to protect the website do not save it. In such cases, a proper backup of your site will help you to restore it quickly. While working on the backup plan, you should focus on two things. Initially, you should make it stored in at least two locations. Secondly, the backup should be done on a regular basis.
While backing up, you have to make a local copy as well as cloud backup. When you choose cloud backup, you should select the most reliable services to make the job hassle-free and efficient. You can go by some best online reviews or references from experts to choose outstanding cloud services.
3 Use Strong Passwords
Google confirms that the compromised passwords are the biggest threat to any website. Attackers use guesswork and try various methods to discover your passwords. Therefore, you should focus on generating strong passwords that are hard to guess. Also, you should change the passwords on a regular basis.
You can apply a two-step password strategy to counter these threats. Firstly, you should use only individual passwords for each service without reusing it in multiple services. Secondly, you should employ a two-factor authentication option for your site. The two-factor authentication has an added layer of login credentials to secure the access further.
4 Use SSL Certification
The communication channel between the web browser of a user and your website is an area many attackers focus. To ensure an encrypted and secure communication channel, you should use an SSL certificate for your site.
It is particularly important when your site offers login accounts to customers, collects personal information, processes payments, and more. The end-to-end encryption ensures quite limited chances of data or information theft while customers use your site. The users also get confidence that their data and information is secured with you, and you are a trusted partner.
5 Make use of Web Application Firewalls
A web application firewall helps you to analyze the information passes between the data connection and the web server. These are generally plug-and-play services based on cloud and come with a nominal monthly subscription fee.
Since it is installed in front of the web server, the firewall blocks all hacking attempts and filters malicious bots and spammers. If you are using any CMS platform, you can make use of various security plugins for added protection from hackers. You should keep in mind the percentage of attacks on WordPress sites last year.
Conclusion
Today, hackers are mostly networked communities with substantial destructive powers in the online world. When countries employ a cyber army to carry out attacks, no website or institution is 100% safe from threats. However, your vigilant intervention and safeguarding steps will help you stay better protected.
