Top Website Security Features Every Business Needs

Our technology-oriented world gives extreme importance to websites for their ultimate role in connecting people. You can easily define a website as the first point of contact between a business owner and potential audiences. Regardless of being a primary element of the digital world, a website is considered a sensitive platform.

The rate at which cybercrime is increasing can put every business regardless of its size in extreme danger.  According to an estimation from a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, the overall cost of cybercrime all over the world is expected to cross £8.5 trillion annually by the end of 2025.  That being a massive number, highlights the risk revolving around businesses making them more vulnerable.

Moreover, statistics prove that approximately 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses. Unfortunately, less than 15% of these are able to keep safe. It is because not everyone understands the way cybercriminals work. These individuals are always in search of loopholes on a website that you may be unable to find. However, by following a few security practices, businesses can successfully secure their websites.

In this article, we have discussed the top website security features that you can focus on to protect your platform from cyberattacks.

Why Website Security Is Critical? 

Website security is considered critical because it helps to protect your business reputation, brand identity, and sensitive information.  Because cyber threats are increasing every day, neglecting website security can lead to devastating consequences.  By following expert-recommended website security practices, Business owners can easily protect customer data.

Also, it helps to prevent financial losses and any kind of data breaches.  The following stats are enough to explain the importance of website security in today’s tech-driven era.

According to a 2023 report by IBM, the government organisations of the United Kingdom annually pay £3.5 million as the average cost of a data breach.

Recently, the National Cyber Security Alliance performed research, which estimated that approximately 60% of small businesses failed to withstand the six months after a cyberattack due to the huge compensation amount they are forced to pay. 

Experts warn online business owners As Google quarantines and blacklists more than 10K websites every day due to malware and phishing.

By keeping these statistics in mind, we can understand the importance of website security for businesses. For a better understanding of the article, we have also explained the common website security threats that business owners can come across.

Common Website Security Threats

Professionals all over the web are concerned about the increasing rate of website security threats. While these are negatively impacting the business industry, understanding the common website security threats is important. Getting to know these can help you to apply the right measures and safeguard your platform. The most common threats include, 

• Phishing Attacks

Phishing is an activity in which cyber criminals trick users and compel them to share personal information. It often results in people losing their credit card details or login credentials. Most attackers attempt to do so by using pop-ups, malicious websites, and fake emails.

For instance, any one of us can receive an e-mail from an authentic-looking website requesting us to update or change our passwords. Users who do not realise they are being scammed can easily give up their financial details.

• Malware Injection

According to stats, malicious software or malware annually impacts approximately 18 million websites all over the world. Hackers inject this harmful software into websites to steal your data and target visitors.

Most often, malware affects online platforms in the form of ransomware, spyware, and viruses. The easiest way in which hackers inject this harmful software is by looking for outdated websites.

• SQL Injection

An SQL injection is another harmful technique used by cyber criminals to exploit the vulnerabilities in your website's database. It is injected in the form of an SQL code that is malicious and easily manipulates your database.

Once the attack is successful, hackers get a chance to tamper with sensitive data and gain access to user information that they cannot normally view. It often leads to losing important usernames, passwords, and financial data of clients.

• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Cross-site scripting, also known as XSS is a cyber threat that compels users to click on a safe-looking link. However, it results in the activation of a malicious script that negatively impacts your website's code.

These scripts are used to tamper the web content and redirect users to unethical and harmful websites. Also, attackers use these scripts to steal user session data and use it for their own benefit.

• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks

The Distributed Denial-Of-Service (DDoS) attack is a popularly occurring cybercrime in which the attacker floods a website with fake internet traffic. It prevents users from accessing a website or a server and causes downtime. 

Most attackers apply this technique by using a botnet—a set of computers that are injected with malicious software and overwhelm a target website with excessive traffic. As a result, websites become inaccessible for a specific duration. 

• Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks

Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack, as the name implies, is a cybercrime in which a hacker intercepts the communication between a website and its users. Often platforms that do not use SSL certificates and encrypt user data are targeted by such hackers.

This can sometimes lead to serious session hijacking and loss of important data.

• Brute Force Attacks

A brute force attack is a type of hacking based on automated tools to gain access to encryption keys, passwords, and login credentials. Hackers attempt this by using the trial-and-error method through which they try multiple combinations to guess the right login details of a user.

Accounts with weaker passwords are the most common targets of such attacks.  Often users try to enable multifactor authentication to prevent this type of unauthorised access to their accounts.

• Zero-Day Exploits

Cybercriminals are always in search of websites that are outdated.  They use the zero-day hacking method to exploit the vulnerabilities in software before developers can install the necessary plugins for its fixture.

The name for this method means that the vendor has zero days to fix the vulnerability because the hacker has already found it in the software.  Many website owners make sure to keep their platforms and plugins updated as it helps to prevent unauthorised access.

• Backdoor Exploits

Backdoor exploit is a very critical method of cyber-attack through which hackers can easily bypass the security systems of an organisation. Under this technique, attackers look for vulnerabilities in the system and introduce authorised points known as back doors to gain access.

After entering into your software, the hackers remain hidden in order to earn long-term access to sensitive user data.  It is considered a dangerous cybercrime for software, hardware, and network infrastructure.

• Ransomware Attacks

According to reports, ransomware attacks can cost business owners an average of £1.2 million every year in finding recovery solutions. This type of attack happens when a hacker encrypts the data of a website and makes it inaccessible to the owner.

In return, the attacker asks for a ransom to decrypt all the data and provide access. These types of attacks often result in operational damage and huge financial losses.

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Top Website Security Practices Explained in Detail

Install an SSL Certificate (Secure Sockets Layer)

What Is It?

An SSL certificate is responsible for encrypting the data that is transferred between a website and its users.  It helps to restrict hackers and scammers from getting into the website or stealing sensitive information.  This way, user data including login credentials, credit card numbers, or other personal details can be secured. 

Platforms that own this certificate can be identified through their URL. Rather than starting with HTTP, their links start with HTTPS. Also, you can find a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar.

Why Is This Feature Important?

According to a report, approximately 85% of online shoppers do not prefer purchasing from websites without an SSL certificate.

• Research estimates that around 82% of online buyers will not browse a website without an SSL.
• SSL certificate helps to increase your Google search ranking and brings more online traffic.

Business owners must implement SSL certificates on all their web pages. Having the certificate on the home page, login page, or checkout page is not enough.  Here are a few steps that you can follow to implement this certificate,
Visit a hosting provider to purchase an SSL certificate.

• Allow your provider to install it or you can directly install it through the hosting dashboard.
• Renew the SSL subscription whenever required to activate the encryption.

Set Up a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

What Is It?

A web application firewall or WAF is like an antivirus software that protects your website from malicious traffic. It constantly monitors incoming traffic on your platform and filters it by blocking any suspicious activity.  Cyber threats like SQL injections and XSS attacks can easily be restricted through this firewall.

Why Is It Important?

• Firewalls can secure your website 24/7 from all types of cyberattacks.
• It blocks harmful bots and other cyber criminals from exploiting any vulnerability on your platform.

The easiest way to prevent new threats from attacking your website is to keep your firewall updated. You can easily install and implement it through the following steps,

1. Visit popular WAF service providers like Cloudflare or Sucuri.
2. Install the firewall on your system.
3. Configure it to prevent bad traffic from entering your website.

Keep Your Website Software Updated

What Is It?

Websites are created using a content management system, commonly known as CMS like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and more. Besides sharing newer versions of their plugins and themes, these platforms release regular updates through which users can fix bugs or errors and keep their platforms secure. Owners who do not focus on these updates can make their websites vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Why Is It Important?

1. According to the reports, approximately 65% of website breaches happen due to outdated software.
2. Cybercriminals keep looking for websites that move without dated themes and plugins as they are easy to target.

Remember that, installing and updating your themes and plugins is necessary. However, make sure to do it from a trusted source only.  Pay attention to a few steps to keep your website software updated.

• Allow your CMS to automatically update website themes and plugins.
• If automatic updates are unavailable, manually check for yourself.
• Remove any outdated themes or plugins from your website to avoid vulnerable points.

Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

What Is It?

Multi-factor authentication, also known as MFA is a type of security methodology that requires a second form of verification to log in to your account. It can be anything like a text code or an authentication app.  We must understand that weak passwords are the easiest ones to hack.

For this reason, choosing strong and complex passwords is necessary. Experts recommend combining them with MFA as it strengthens the layer of protection on user credentials.

Why Is It Important?

• According to sources, approximately 85% of breaches occurred due to stolen and weak passwords.

The best way to prevent this type of cybercrime and secure your passwords is to use a password manager.  Pay attention to the following steps if you want to implement MFA.

1. Create lengthy and complex passwords by adding letters, numbers, symbols, and characters.
2. Activate multifactor authentication using apps like the Google Authenticator or similar ones.
3. Keep updating your passwords add a word reusing a password.

Regularly Back Up Your Website

What Is It?

By backing up your website regularly, you can always save the latest version of your website's data. This way, business owners can always restore their platforms in case any cyber-attack or data loss occurs.

Why Is It Important?

• According to our research, approximately 95% of companies without backups are forced to close within a year in case they come across a major data loss or cyberattack.

Experts suggest that website owners should always test their backups to ensure they work appropriately. The easiest way to back up your website regularly just to try the following steps,

1. Schedule your website to automatically back up on a daily or weekly basis.
2. Try to secure your website's backup data in more than one location like an offline backup and a cloud backup.
3. Try to purchase popular backup tools or connect with your hosting provider for backup services.

Protect Against DDoS Attacks

What Is It?

This feature is to protect your website from the earlier discussed DDoS threat. Having this type of protection on your website defends it against fake traffic redirected by scammers. By having this type of protection, website owners can prevent their platforms from becoming slow or inaccessible.

Why Is It Important?

Cloudflare has reported that the rate of DDoS attacks increased by 31% by the end of 2023.  It is why, experts prefer using load balancers through which they can easily distribute the load and handle excessive traffic.

1. You can easily implement DDoS protection on your website through the following steps.
2. Invest in recognised DDoS protection services like AWS Shield or most probably Cloudflare.
3. Set a limit for the traffic rate only on websites through which you can easily detect and block fake traffic.

Limit User Access and Permissions

What Is It?

Website owners must understand that not everyone should be allowed complete access to their platforms. It is better to authorise trusted people and limit user access to prevent any accidental or intentional damage. Most website owners regularly review their user permissions to make sure the platform is secure from unauthorised access.

Why Is It Important?

A report by Verison explained that more than 30% of data breaches occur due to insiders. For this reason, trusting everyone with your website can be dangerous. You can easily limit user access by focusing on a few steps.

Create different user roles for your website and permit them according to their positions like admin, editor, and contributor.
Eliminate any older and inactive user accounts.

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Final Thoughts: Secure Your Website Now!

Website security is a very sensitive topic that must be prioritised to stay strong in the digital world. Professionals must understand that a single preacher can cost them their entire business. By paying attention to each of these top website security features, you can prevent your business from cybercrimes.

Get ready to secure your website and protect your business in the most amasing way. Do not wait for cybercriminals to find any vulnerabilities on your platform. Make sure to implement these features as soon as possible.