We must implement web security while designing the website. With the technological expansion, the security vulnerability is on the increase, hence it is necessary to keep website security ahead of the new website creation and be secured from day zero.
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Some of the Threats You Need to Be Aware Of
I will try to give you some simple gist about few threats and will certainly not go deep into technical aspects of these threats.
- One of the most common threats is Cross-site scripting XSS. This enables a hacker to inject client-side scripts on other users’ browsers. Using an XSS attack with social engineering techniques, attackers can cause more damage. This also enables the attacker to login as a user and see information exposing credit card details, contact information and password. Here is a nice read about XSS.
- Websites using databases, where SQL Injections allow databases to be accessed, modified or deleted without the permission of the user, amongst the other threats are spoofing identities, creating new profiles, accessing information, deleting data etc.
- Another threat involves the website and the web browser, known as Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF). Where the user who is logged in to a site can be a victim to the hacker, whereby some actions are performed by the hacker which were not intended by the victim, but this will not affect the surfer who is not logged in.
- Clickjacking, another form of hacking where the hacker hacks a legitimate website and diverts the user to visit an infected website where the hacker controls the users’ actions. For example, a submit button actually does not submit info, also a close button does not close anything but triggers the system out of control.
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks the targeted website by flooding it with large volume of requests to disrupt the regular traffic.
The above gives you an Idea about the various security threats and effect of each of them, so while you design the website you can reduce the occurrence of these threats.
What All Is at Risk?
Some of the things at risk are mentioned below:
- Loss of revenue
- Financial records
- Loss of website/customer data
- Medical records
- Top of all, loss of faith of the customers
Security in Mind when the Website Is Designed
Keeping security in mind from the very beginning of building your website, can ensure hassle free future, some ways to handle them:
- Choose the right CMS (Content Management System), where some options are available, where you must evaluate the features of each, like Plugins and extensions, to ensure security.
- Get a correct Web host, to protect your website data. You must review and research several web hosting companies and consider various factors such as downtime, response, downtime causes, customer service quality, benefits, SSL certificates, data storage and scalability options, backups, supported web applications, PCI compliance.
Install a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
New websites always attract the hacker’s attention, even automated Bots regularly scan for vulnerable sites, hence firewall (WAF) can protect you against these threats. To can read this to understand WAF in detail.
Encrypting Your Connections
Your website constantly makes connection with the webserver and requests/sends data from server. An SSL Certificate installation will create a secure handshake between you site and the client’s device, whereby no third party can hack the connection. There are many risks of not installing ssl certificate for your website. Recently, Google has been pushing this security mandatory for every website.
To Start with Beginning
There is no foolproof method which will protect you against all vulnerabilities, but you can ensure that you have a competent coder and a penetration tester who can ensure no vulnerabilities goes unnoticed.
As promised here is free website vulnerability checker. Try this and improve your website security.
Secure your Logins
You must secure all login details which have to be unique and robust, they also need to be changed regularly, you must do everything possible to make your website secure and by being aware of the vulnerabilities, as well as the methods of countering them, and be well equipped with a secure website.
These are some of the best methods which can help you stay safe against many vulnerabilities. If you strictly follow these steps, then there are very fewer chances of your website getting breached.
Let me know what different methods that you have been following to secure your website.
