Being an entrepreneur of a small online business, you be under the assumptions that nefarious hackers may not find anything of value when they attempt to breach your company website. However, in recent years, there have been several incidences of cyber-attacks on some e-commerce business websites that have shaken the confidence of the business community. Many cybersecurity experts say in many of these cases, the culprits did not attempt to deface the websites or steal the owner’s vital business information. They explain that a new trend is emerging among these criminals. They are using the servers of these business proprietors to broadcast spam emails to the public. Some of them also attempt to get access to sensitive client data by making anonymous requests to their victim’s website that appear official. In some cases, they even inundate the site with so many false customer requests that owner’s system ultimately crush.
In such a situation, it becomes necessary for you as an entrepreneur to take appropriate measures to safeguard your business website from such cyber threats. These experts clarify that the best way to foil a cybersecurity breach is to have some defense layers around your business website that are difficult to penetrate for the most ardent hacker. They suggest that it is crucial for you to keep in mind the following steps:
Update your software and operating system regularly on your website
As a business proprietor, you need to continually ensure that the operating system and various software programs you are using for your business website are up-to-date. This is the best way to ensure your business website is secure from potential cybersecurity threats. These experts state that in a majority of cases nefarious hackers tend to search for possible security holes in the software programs you use for your business website. If you opt for a hosting solution for your operating system, the service provider you hire for the purpose takes care of the security issues for you. However, if you choose to use a third-party software such as content management system(CMS) for your business website, make sure you apply the necessary security patches.
Password
Like most business proprietors, you know it is essential to use complex passwords to access your server and the admin area of your website. Moreover, you should ensure that such codes are not less than eight characters long that include uppercase, unique keys, and numbers to make sure that they are not easy to hack. You could also encrypt your passwords using hashing algorithms to ensure they are secure. If in the unfortunate event, a nefarious individual does hack your hashed password, there is very little damage he/she can do because a person will not know how to decrypt it.
File uploads to your website
Allowing your clients to upload their files to your business website can be potential security risks for you as an entrepreneur even if you can change their avatar. While such files may appear innocent from the outside, they may have a script that has the potential to access your business website whenever you execute your server. If your company website has a file upload form, it is evident that you view all files your clients attach and upload with suspicion. A viable solution for such an issue is to rename the files your customers upload on your business website to ensure their proper extension.
Error message
As a business proprietor, it essential for you to not to make too many error messages when interacting with your online clients. This is because you may unintentionally leak vital information that potential hackers could use to breach your website in the form of SQL injections.
Browser and, validation
It is prudent on your part to there is proper validation for the server you use for your business, and the browser suggests experts from esteemed company RemoteDBA.com. In such a case, the browser can quickly detect mistakes that your clients or potential hackers make like omitting to fill in a mandatory field or entering text characters in a number field. This may go a long way in ensuring nefarious individuals do not insert malicious codes into your database that could make your website crash.
Always encrypt your website’s login pages
Make it a point to encrypt the login page of your site with secure socket layer(SSL). This security technology ensures you can transmit critical and sensitive data relating to your clients safely. This information could relate to their credit card details, social security number, and other login credentials. Even if this vital encrypted information does, unfortunately, falls into the hands of a nefarious hacker, he/she can hardly do anything because he/she is unaware of how to decrypt it.
Take regular backups of your website
You need to make backups of all the vital files on your company website at regular intervals. This does a long way in ensuring that your critical business data is safe and secure in the unfortunate event of your website becoming inaccessible because of a cybersecurity breach. If you opt to hire a provider who offers web hosting services to the public, he/she should provide with suitable services to store your business data.
Scan your business website and servers for potential vulnerabilities
You need to perform thorough security scan of the server you use and your company website to find out potential vulnerabilities that hackers could use to breach your system. This is an exercise you should carry out at regular intervals or after making additions to your website. Many online tools on the internet can help you to determine how secure your site is but cannot identify every security flaw. On the other hand, you could hire the services of a professional in this field to carry out this essential task.
Your business website means that enable you to generate revenue from your online clients and stay one-step ahead of your competitors. As an entrepreneur, you will naturally want to secure it from potential security breaches by hackers. The above steps go a long way in helping you to achieve this objective, but it is always prudent to consult a skilled cybersecurity expert when it comes to implementing such measures.
Author Bio:
Sujain Thomas is a database management professional with RemoteDBA.com, and She helps clients of small to medium businesses with their cybersecurity protection and issues.
