Owing to the 21st century, the Internet revolutionized the world and many people have started using it as a platform to expand their talents or business and showcase it to a larger audience globally. With platforms such as WordPress, it has now become relatively easier to build your very own website with absolutely no prior experience.
However just building a website is not sufficient in this digital era. You need to protect it from the malicious intents of people who are always on the lookout for weak websites so as to exploit them. They will breach your website and steal all the data stored in it which they can further use for their own financial gains. Therefore website security should be an important aspect that shouldn’t be looked over by new as well as veteran website owners.
In spite of numerous resources available to help them assist with this task, most people tend to commit very basic and common mistakes when it comes to securing their website. Therefore we are going to provide you with a list of the most common website security mistakes made by people so that you can avoid them.
Allowing Invalid Inputs:
In order to increase customer engagement, websites tend to provide various input sources for customers such as comment sections, review sections etc. While you might have good intentions behind doing so, hackers see it as a window of opportunity.
Such input sources make it possible for them to inject malicious code in to your websites database which will act as malware and exploit your website from the inside out. Therefore it is important for you as a website owner to validate any and all inputs coming from your website as well as the server in order to prevent such attacks.
Using Outdated or Nulled Software/Plugins/Themes:
you might’ve noticed that software vendors tend to periodically release updates for their products. While you might view this as a hassle, there’s a good reason behind why you should update them. Whenever a new software is released, it is generally tested but not by a large number of users.
Therefore there remains the possibility that there might be some sort of vulnerability left behind by the developer. As more and more users use the software, these vulnerabilities come to light and are promptly conveyed to the developer who releases a patch for them. If you don’t update your software with these patches, your website will remain vulnerable to these flaws which can be exploited by hackers.
Not Encrypting Sensitive Data:
In the worst case scenario possible lets say that a hacker manages to gain access to your database by hacking in to your website. But what if you had realised this and already made provisions to counter this threat.
By encrypting the confidential data in your database, you make it impossible for the hacker to understand it thus rendering the said data unusable. This data can include Personally Identifiable information, banking details, credit card details, emails, passwords etc.
Not Conducting Regular Security Audits:
While running a website, you cannot just implement security protocols at the beginning and call it a day. You need to proactively keep testing and make sure that the security level of your website is on par with your standards.
It is possible that hackers can inject malicious code in to your website that can lie dormant for quite some time but will activate itself later. Such attacks can cause major damage to your company. Therefore it is important to keep conducting regular security audits of your website in order to ensure that such scenarios don’t happen.
Improper Configurations:
When you set up your website for the first time, it is important to have the correct settings and configurations. You need to get an in-depth knowledge of what each setting does so that you can decide whether you require it or not.
If you check or uncheck the wrong tick boxes it can come to haunt you back later. By not setting up your security settings properly you leave a loophole to be exploited by hackers which renders the whole process meaningless. Therefore take care to ensure that you set up the right configurations while building your website.
Having A Lax Approach To Website Security:
Many people think that website security is not a big deal and it is just additional expenses that you will have to cover if you decide to employ it. Therefore they end up neglecting it or simply don’t employ it as they see it as a waste of time and money.
However this same decision comes back to haunt them later when hackers target their website. It is far less expensive to set up proper security measures for your website rather than pay for its recovery later in the even of a cyber attack. Apart from the financial standpoint, the loss of reputation and client’s trust is like adding salt to the wound. Therefore ensure that you pay as much attention as you can in safeguarding your website in the first place in order to not lament over it later.
These are some of the most common mistakes website owners make when it comes to its security. Falling prey to them should be considered foolish as they are one of the main reasons as to why hackers are tempted to attack the website in the first place.
However these mistakes are easily fixable if you only take active measures against them. You should always keep yourself up to date regarding cyber crimes as it is a domain where you can be targeted as well and take measures to protect yourself alongside.
We hope by reading this article you gained some insights on these common mistakes that people take for granted. We urge you to not fall prey to them and instead work towards making your website a safer place for your users and you as it can prove to be beneficial in the long run.
