The Website Security Playbook: Outsmarting Hackers One Step at a Time

We are all familiar with attacks on a site by hackers, which can not only damage the reputation of a resource and its search engine ranking but also completely disarm the server and make it inaccessible to users. This has a negative impact on business: revenues fall, customers are lost, and their data is jeopardized. This is especially dangerous for those companies whose business functions solely through a web resource.

To be calm for your online business, you should pump the protection of the site in all possible ways. What are these ways? Let’s discuss top cybersecurity tips in today’s step-by-step guide.

Tip 1: Use a good login and password

If your site is built based on any CMS, then first of all, you should close all paths to the administrative panel. After all, if an intruder gets into your admin panel, you can already say goodbye to the resource.

For example, when installing WordPress, the system automatically offers the login “admin”. Using this login, you already provide half of the necessary information for hackers, and they only need to pick up the password.

You can always change the login in the control panel: just delete the old user, add a new one, and make it an administrator. As soon as a new administrator is created, it will be possible to delete the user under the login “admin”.

In the case of the password, it is also important to stick to the “unbanal move”. Passwords like pass1243, 1u2y3o4p5, 00912a928ab, and so on are extremely unreliable, but they are still used.

An example of a good password is ouJsFG9q12. You may say that such a password is extremely difficult to remember, and that will be true, but it is better than a simple one. You can save it in a safe place and use it when needed. But hackers will have a hard time picking it up.

Tip 2: Update your CMS

We recommend regularly updating your CMS, as an outdated version of the platform is one of the “holes” that hackers love to exploit. On WordPress, for example, you can find out about an incoming update right from the admin panel:

Tip 3: Use plugins and themes from trusted places

Whether you use WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal is not that important. You should always only download themes and plugins from trusted sources. Usually, these are official CMS online stores – make sure you’re on them and download only what you want.

It’s also worth noting that it’s worth keeping an eye out not only for CMS updates but also for extension updates, as their older versions may also be at risk.

Tip 4: Use an SSL connection

The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol guarantees a secure connection between the user’s browser and the server. When using the SSL protocol, information is transmitted in encrypted form via HTTPS, and it can only be decrypted with a special key, unlike the usual HTTP protocol.

In simple words – use a secure HTTPS connection, and then your site will be extremely difficult for a hacker to get into. There is nothing complicated about installing an SSL certificate. It takes only a few seconds to install the protocol – just go to the “SSL Certificates” section and click on the “Order Certificate” button, which will display a list of available certificates for purchase.

Tip 5: Use two-factor account authentication

Multi-factor authentication is often used to enhance security from the attacks of a hacker. It works as follows: after entering your password on the site, you are sent a request for a one-time password, which you receive to a contact phone number or email. Even if an attacker has compromised the main password, he will not be able to log into the account without access to your phone number or email.

Connecting two-factor authentication to enter the administrative panel of the CMS can be organized with the help of special plugins. For example, Google Authenticator is available on WordPress.

Tip 6: Use plugins that ensure security

There are special plugins to protect the site from a hacker. For example, in the WordPress store, there is a separate section, “Security”, where you can find all kinds of plugins to protect the resource. More about some plugins from this section, we will talk about them below.

Wordfence Security

This is a security plugin for WordPress that allows you to scan your site for malicious code, breaches, and loopholes. It also shows real-time analytics of the site and traffic. There is also the option to set up automatic scans and more.

Acunetix WP Scanner

Acunetix WP Scanner is a plugin that scans your site for various security vulnerabilities and offers a number of methods to fix them. For example, you can configure passwords, different file permissions, database protection, and WordPress version information protection.

All-In-One WordPress Security

All In One WordPress Security plugin allows you to secure user accounts and logins, databases, and file systems, prevent brute force attacks (password mining attacks), site scanning, and more.

Tip 7: Make backups of the site

Even with perfect site protection, you can not be sure that it will not be hacked. Something can go wrong, and the site will still be affected. To be prepared for this, you should create site backups, thanks to which the site can be restored.

You can use the backup tool within the CMS. For example, there is a special WordPress Database Backup plugin on WordPress. The plugin settings allow you to set the option to send a daily database backup to your mailbox.

Conclusion

How to make a website unkillable is a question that worries all web developers. In today’s article, we have analyzed the main methods to improve website protection from hackers. First of all, you should take care of the SSL certificate, set a strong password to log in to your account and, if possible, use a DDoS attack remedy. Together, these implementations can stop a hacker in their tracks.