The Internet has made our lives easier. Gathering information is as easy as looking it up on Google; face to face transactions can now be done without going anywhere, and lots more.
Just like how the Internet can be extremely beneficial, it can also be a risk for your website security. Hacking is one of the dangers people face. From bank accounts to private files, and even a website itself, hackers are not choosy – they will make your life difficult if they want.
For website owners there are ways for you to add a layer of security to your account, making it more difficult to be hacked.
Tips to Prevent a Website Security Breach
To help prevent your website from being hacked, keep the following tips in mind:
- Don’t Use “Admin” as a Username
Most webmasters use admin as the username. When hackers use up their bots, they use “admin”. Using a more specific username, with numbers or special characters if allowed, can help the hackers have a harder time in gaining access to your site.
- Use a Strong Password
In connection with the username, hackers also have to key in a password. But some webmasters use a weak password.A lot of people are afraid to use complicated passwords because they might forget it. Using weak passwords make it very easy to hack into your website. A good tip for a strong password is for a password to include at least eight characters, a capital letter, a number and a symbol. Some of the weakest passwords are:
- Company name
- Company telephone number
- Company foundation day
- password
- password123
- qwerty
- qwertyuiop
- 1234567890
- 0987654321
- welcome
- Limit the time you can key in a wrong password.
Aside from using passwords that are more difficult to crack, set a limit to the number of attempts for entering a wrong password. Some may find this a bit perilous but if you really are the website owner, this won’t be a problem. Also, keying in a wrong password five successive times is a little too much, don’t you think?
- Software Updates
If your website is using WordPress or any type of CMS, we recommend performing periodical updates. It may seem obvious, but a lot of website owners forget that keeping software up to date is vital in keeping their site secure. When website security holes are found in software, hackers are quick to attempt to abuse them.If you’re not feeling to sure about updating WordPress on your own, LOJO offers security packages that take care of upgrading WordPress to its latest version, as well as dealing with any plugin upgrades and issues.
- Change your Password Often
We recommend changing your password often, as this will make it harder for hackers to get into your site. However, please don’t place your new password on a sticky note plastered at your monitor; some people can still hack you nevertheless. - SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate is a protocol used to provide security over the Internet. If you gather personal information from your customers, such as credit card information, social security numbers, etc., it is a good idea to install an SSL Certificate. Without an SSL certificate, attackers have easier access to your site and could capture your clients’ delicate information. - Back Up Frequently
Just in case the worst happens anyway, make sure to backup your site frequently. We recommend having monthly, weekly and daily backups (get rid of all other backups in between). When you backup your site, you are less likely to lose your website in the case of an attack. Have you ever lost all the information after a computer crash? Losing the latest updates on your site can be equally as frustrating, so make sure you back it up! If you are one of LOJO’s hosting clients, we have your covered on those daily, weekly and monthly backups.
LOJO is your website security partner. We offer various options to help you keep your website safe from malware and hackers. Give us a call or fill out our contact us form on our site to find out more about our security packages and what we can do to help you prevent your website from being hacked.
