Website Security

Website Security for your Small Business

Introduction

When you’re running a small business, you have to do everything you can to make sure that it’s as secure as possible.

You probably know that cyber criminals can use your business’s computer system to gain access to personal information, confidential financial data, company strategies and customer records.

You probably know that cyber criminals can use your business’s computer system to gain access to personal information, confidential financial data, company strategies and customer records. You may be aware that some of these criminals are state-sponsored or even conducting attacks on behalf of other countries in a form of industrial espionage.

The risks are real, but not all businesses are equally at risk. Knowing about the risks is the first step—and being prepared for them can help prevent a devastating breach from occurring in your small business environment. There are two main reasons for this:

  • Your IT infrastructure (including its physical location) makes you vulnerable to cybercrime—even if it’s not as easy as breaking into a bank vault (which is still possible). This means that no matter how much care you take around protecting sensitive data like customer credit card numbers, an attacker might find another way into your system if they have enough time and patience.
  • The second reason why small businesses may be more likely than large corporations to suffer cyberattacks is because they often don't have adequate security measures in place when handling their data. Security best practices like regular password changes and strong encryption standards aren't always followed by smaller companies with limited resources available for implementing them effectively

But do you know that your website is a major entry point for many hackers?

But do you know that your website is a major entry point for many hackers?

Your website is an important asset for your small business, but if you don't take the right security measures, it can be a liability. Hackers can steal your data, including customer lists and financial information. They can also get into your website and then into the rest of your network—and from there they can access anything on it.

Many small businesses have websites, but few have the security measures needed to protect them. Hackers are more likely target a small business's site because they're easier to breach than larger ones; moreover, once inside such sites hackers can not only steal data but use them as launch pads for attacks on other sites

Before we go any further, here’s the good news: small businesses are not always the prime target of cyber attacks.

Research shows that large corporations are more likely to be the victims of cyber attacks. Hackers are always looking for easy targets, and small businesses tend to have less secure networks than larger companies. They may also lack the resources to protect their network properly.

However, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't take steps to protect yourself from hackers. You can still get hacked just by having an outdated computer system or poor security policies in place.

Hackers usually try to get into government and large corporate networks first. So most small-business owners have time to put preventive measures in place before they are attacked.

Hackers usually try to get into government and large corporate networks first. So most small-business owners have time to put preventive measures in place before they are attacked. You can do this by:

  • using strong passwords;
  • installing anti-virus software on all your devices;
  • keeping your operating systems up to date;
  • using two-factor authentication (2FA) on all your accounts where possible, including your email account;
  • creating an incident response plan that includes training staff members how to react if they believe the company has been hacked

A website can be a great marketing tool for a small business. But it can also give criminals access to your network if you don’t take precautions.

A website can be a great marketing tool for your business. But it can also give criminals access to your network if you don’t take precautions. If you want to use the internet as a tool, consider:

  • Make sure your site is built on secure code
  • Establish security policies that keep all files locked down and limit access to authorized users only
  • Don’t store sensitive information on the web server, such as credit card numbers or bank account details

When you’re setting up your website, be sure it has all the security features you need.

Web hosts and developers can do some of the heavy lifting for you, but ultimately it's up to you to make sure your site is secure. When setting up your website, ask these questions:

  • What are the host’s policies on security? Can they tell me about their security team and what kind of monitoring procedures they have in place?
  • Do I want to work with a developer who has experience building sites that are secure by default?
  • Does my designer understand that when designing a site, he or she must consider how accessible it will be from mobile devices or tablets (and if so, what screen sizes should we optimize for)?

Here are some of the major threats to watch out for when building or protecting your website.

You need to take steps to prevent these threats from happening, both before and after your site goes live.

Before it’s launched, you can use Web Application Firewalls (WAF) or similar tools to check for malware and bugs in the code, making sure there aren’t any vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers. This will also ensure that your website is ready for artificial intelligence (AI) traffic monitoring.

AI can help you detect suspicious activity on your website and block malicious attempts by hackers. AI monitors traffic patterns across multiple devices simultaneously so attackers won't trigger an alarm when they're lurking around online checking out a potential target in an attempt to garner information about their next victim through phishing attacks – one of the most common ways for cyber criminals to gain access into a personal computer system or small business network server system (SBS).

You need an SSL certificate as soon as possible after you set up a site, whether it’s an e-commerce site or not. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, which is a security protocol used by many websites. It is used to protect data passing between the user’s browser and the web server.

  • You need an SSL certificate as soon as possible after you set up a site, whether it’s an e-commerce site or not. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, which is a security protocol used by many websites. It is used to protect data passing between the user’s browser and the web server.
  • An SSL certificate is easy to install, and they are free at most registrars (the companies that sell domain names). If you buy your domain name through one of these providers, they will automatically give you an SSL certificate upon registration; otherwise, there may be additional fees involved.
  • When users visit sites with valid certificates (indicated by a green padlock icon in their browser), their information is encrypted from point A to point B so that no one else can see it–not even employees on your own office network! This means that if someone tries stealing credit card information from customers who made purchases from your website, there's no way for them access any data because everything gets scrambled during transmission over the internet!

Conclusion

For those who have been struggling to keep their websites secure, I hope this article provided a few tips for improvement. The last thing you want is for your site to be hacked and have all your important information deleted or used against you. In addition to making sure that every page on your website has an SSL certificate installed, there are also other steps you can take such as having better passwords and keeping them safe by storing them somewhere else outside of the internet (like in a spreadsheet).

Takeaway: It’s important that all business owners understand how they can protect themselves from the many threats out there when it comes to their website security. With these tips in mind, I hope everyone will feel more confident about taking control over their online presence and protecting it from potential hackers looking to steal personal information like credit card numbers or social security numbers.