Website security can feel overwhelming. Obviously, you want to protect your business and your investment. But where do you even start? Well, asking the experts is as good a place to start as any.
Websites have been around for a while (just like Infomedia!), so shouldn’t everybody know what website security means by now? Well, no. Not really. Websites don’t have a physical door to lock behind you on your way out, and you can’t call a security company to install an alarm. Instead, it’s more like an invisible fence around your website out there in cyberspace.
What is website security?
We’re warming up with the easy questions. So easy, in fact, that many people are embarrassed to ask this one.
Website security is a system of measures and practices aimed at protecting your website and your data from unauthorized access. With the help of encryption, firewalls, software updates, secure coding practices, strong authentication methods and more, you can protect your investment and the data of your website users.
Why is website security important?
We build and support websites every day. That means nobody knows better about the time, effort and money that goes into a good website. So, the number one reason to prioritize website security is to simply protect your investment. Think about it as an insurance policy for your website. After all, the cost of cybercrime isn’t cheap.
The second, but no less important, reason why website security is important is trust. When visitors see that your website is secure, it helps them feel confident enough to share personal information, make purchases or even just spend time browsing your site. The opposite is also true — if your website isn’t secure, it can damage your reputation with potential customers.
What businesses need to pay special attention to website security?
All of them. Obviously, any website that deals with sensitive information or data is a target for a security breach. Here are just a few:
- E-commerce
- Banks/financial institutions
- Political parties
- Legal services
- Government entities
- Critical infrastructure (like utility, transportation or telecommunication companies)
BUT, even websites that don’t ask for personal information are still targeted by cybercriminals. Over the years, we’ve seen several websites where the attacker didn’t want anything from the website itself. Instead, they stay stealthy. They upload malware to an otherwise trustworthy site, waiting for some unlucky visitor to click on a bad link or download a malicious file.
What are the most common security threats?
The easiest way for cybercriminals to access a website is through the server. (A server is a powerful computer that stores your website data and shares it with users over the internet.) Servers can have weak spots or “attack surfaces” that hackers use to get into your site.
You can’t avoid having a server — so how do you protect your site? At Infomedia, we disable all features that could be an entry point for potential hackers on websites we host.
How can you protect against cybersecurity threats?
We asked the experts (aka our website developers) about this one. In case you didn’t know, website developers can sometimes speck in technobabble, especially when you get them started on a topic they’re passionate about — like website security.
Luckily, our team of copywriters is fluent in technobabble and skilled at translating it into simple, everyday language.
tech●no●bab●ble (noun)
complex language, often spoken in a rapid and excited manner, full of technical jargon that is incomprehensible to the average person
Here are just a few examples of how we protect our clients’ websites:
- Technobabble: We lock the administration panel of our servers by whitelisting IPs only.
- Which means: This means that no one outside a few trusted team members can access our servers.
- Technobabble: We do not give cPanel access to anyone, even our clients.
- Which means: No one, not even our other clients, will have access to your server.
- Technobabble: We regularly vet and update plugins to eliminate vulnerabilities.
- Which means: All website plugins are not created equal. We ensure that every plugin we use is entirely safe and remains safe with regular updates.
Some other website companies don’t bother with all of these extra precautions. But for us, the extra work is worth the peace of mind it brings us and our clients.
What happens when a site is hacked or breached?
Cybersecurity is constantly changing, evolving and growing. But unfortunately, so are cybercriminals. In the rare instance that one of our clients’ sites is hacked, it’s an immediate all-hands-on-deck situation. We assign a team of developers to lock down the site and clean up any damage done by the hack.
How do you stay on top of cybersecurity advancements?
Our Development team is constantly researching and adopting industry advancements. Most recently, we’ve adopted a herd immunity firewall. This means that any IP address (think: home address but on the internet) that has attempted to access other sites will be automatically blocked from your site.
Additionally, AI security is advancing daily — just like every other area of AI. We’re keeping a close eye on what’s going on to ensure we stay up to date with security measures.
Have More Questions? Let’s Hear Them!
Our team of developers is always excited to provide more answers, and we always have someone on hand to translate some tech talk for you. Whether it’s about website security, media projects or anything in between, we’re here to help.
Thank you to our amazing Development team for their help with this blog — what a bunch of nerds.
