Looking to create a safe and secure website for your customers? Maybe you already have a website and just want to be sure it's secure. Either way, CyberPolicy is here to help.
Take a look at a few of the prescriptions below to see how these match with your website strategy. And visit CyberPolicy's blog page for your daily dose of cybersecurity education.
Choose a Content Management System
Many of today's businesses don't actually build their own sites, but rather use a Content Management System (CMS). This is quicker and easier for many organizations because it is more affordable than hiring a computer programmer and quicker than constructing one yourself. Popular examples include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and ExpressionEngine.
While CMS providers offer regular security updates to their platforms (instead of having to do it yourself), data leaks and exploits are rather common. So make sure you are staying up-to-date on the latest news.
Use a Web Host
A web hosting service allows organization to make their website available via the internet through the provider's data center. Web hosts vary in their prices and offerings, but no matter who you decide to work with, make sure they offer Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP).
SFTP was designed to safely transfer encrypted commands and data to keep sensitive information, like passwords, from being transferred over the network and into the wrong hands.
Minimize Add-Ons & Plug-Ins
Add-ons and plug-ins are a wonderfully easy way to include new functionalities into your website. However, there is a drawback. Many add-ons and plug-ins are simply not secure and new exploits are uncovered continuously.
This is not to say that you can never use plug-ins, but rather an instance to use them carefully. You can reduce your risk of cyberattack by regularly updating your add-ons. The more add-ons you have, the more opportunities for incursion, so be safe and limit your additions.
Employ a Web Application Firewall
Hackers love bots and will regularly use compromised computers and programs to drum up phony web traffic to stymie your operations or explore vulnerabilities in your website. Don't let them get in! Protect yourself with a web application firewall (WAF) that can automatically detect and quarantine online bots and bogus traffic.
Take things to the next level by employing a WAF that can also identify harmful segments of code and SQL injection commands before they infiltrate your systems.
Take Advantage of HTTPS & Secure Sockets Layer
HTTPS or Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure is a communication protocol that is used to transfer sensitive information between a website and web server in a secure way. Need to double check if your website is secure? Look in the address bar, if your website begins "https" you are good. Not to mention that Google prioritizes search results for website using HTTPS.
If you process payments through your site, be sure to include a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to ensure that no hacker can come between you and your online transaction.
By now, your head is probably spinning with security features and acronyms. What happens if you forget to fill a security gap and a hacker slips past your defenses? While we hope this never happens to you, cyber insurance from CyberPolicy can help you get your business back on track. Want to learn more? Visit the cybersecurity education center today!
