RESOURCE GUIDE
Website Security Upgrades
Fortify your online business
POLISH YOUR WEBSITE SAFETY
A Complete Guide To Website Security Upgrades
The internet is a vast and varied place. It’s the perfect space for criminals to commit cybercrime, and they don’t shy away from trying their luck at hacking into websites.
They may try to steal data or infect your site with malware so they can use it as a launching point for attacks on other sites or users. If you think that this doesn’t apply to you because your business is small or only has a few employees, think again!
Plug-ins Can Give Access to Hackers
Plug-ins can provide all sorts of benefits, from better SEO and more efficient backups to adding new features and functionality to your site. But with that functionality also comes a certain degree of vulnerability.
They can cause security issues because they have access to your website’s files, database, and more of its inner workings than the average visitor. If they don’t come from an approved source, then they could be dangerous!
How to conduct a competitive analysis to improve your brand
At LOJO Marketing, we conduct an in-depth competitive analysis to help you succeed in today’s cut-throat competition.
Meanwhile, here are the steps that we follow.
What are the risks of installing plug-ins?
If you have too many plug-ins installed on your site and not enough security measures in place, hackers can easily exploit vulnerabilities in one of them and gain access to all the other ones.
There are several ways that this happens:
-Plug-ins may be vulnerable to attacks on their own—just like any other software program would be if it were built with poor coding practices. This is especially true if the plug-in was created by an inexperienced developer or not thoroughly tested before being released into the wilds of WordPress’s ecosystem.
-They can cause performance issues because they often load lots of code into memory at once when they’re activated on your site. The more code running simultaneously, the slower your website will generally become (and thus more prone to crashing).
-There are many different types of plugins available now, covering every aspect, from simple web design functions to complex business applications. As such, it gets harder for even experienced users who know what they need from their websites.
How many plug-ins are too many?
If you’re concerned that a plug-in in your WordPress dashboard might be vulnerable, you can visit the developer’s website and look for news about security vulnerabilities. If you find something, contact them about it.
Generally, it is advisable to limit the number of your plug-ins to 20. The more plugins you have, the more likely it is that one of them will be outdated and need updating.
Use Plug-ins Wisely, or You May Regret It Later
Only install the plugins that will help with functions that are relevant to what you need for your business or organization’s website. If a plugin doesn’t fit into one of those categories, don’t install it!
You can always check back later if there is something new that comes along and seems like something worth looking into then. Just remember that there are plenty of good choices out there already, so don’t feel like every option has been exhausted (or even explored) yet!
Make sure any new additions have received positive reviews from other users before installing them. This will ensure both their safety as well as compatibility with other software packages currently running concurrently within allocated memory space.
That’s why it’s important only to choose the ones that best align with your site’s needs. If you have any doubts about whether a particular plugin will work for you and your business, talk to an expert before downloading it.
CMS Keep Websites Safe
Outdated software is a common problem on many websites. But it’s not just a risk for your site—it also presents a risk to you personally.
If you run an outdated CMS on your site and someone hacks into it, they could use the vulnerability in that system to do whatever they want with your data and website. This can result in serious financial damage or even identity theft!
For instance, there is an estimated $9.44M average cost of a data breach in the United States in 2022. As for businesses, this number can mean they’ll have to spend lots of money on customer service or lose sales due to bad publicity surrounding the incident.
Why should you upgrade your CMS?
Updating your CMS can help keep your website safe and secure. This is because:
-Security updates are released regularly to protect against new attacks and hacks while also fixing bugs discovered in previous versions.
-New features may be added to the latest version of the CMS. This means it’s easier for you to do things like add new content, manage user accounts, or customize the look of your site.
-Bug fixes are made to existing features so that there aren’t any issues with how they work on your particular website (such as an error message).
Updates Aren’t Just Limited To These Three Categories, Though!
If there’s been something wrong with how your website works since its launch date, then these problems will be fixed by updating as well. It could be an update from when you first launched or because there was a bug in the first place.
How to make sure your CMS is secure?
Make sure you have the latest version of your CMS and all plugins and extensions. If there’s an update available, install it right away.
Additionally, keep all your plugins and extensions updated. It will help ensure they don’t have any security vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.
You may also use a service like Sucuri to monitor your website for security issues. With this service, you can scan your site daily or weekly (or even more often) for malware infections and other major problems.
If there is anything wrong with the way their site works, it will immediately let them know so they can fix it before someone exploits one of their website’s vulnerabilities in order to hack into it.
All In All, Updating Is A Good Thing!
It can help keep your website safe and secure. It can also fix bugs that have been discovered in previous versions of the CMS and add new features to make it easier for you to do things like adding content or managing user accounts.
What to do if your site has already been attacked?
If your site has already been targeted, the first step is to check for malware. This occurrence is so common that 560,000 new malware are detected daily.
Malware is a type of computer virus that can infect your site and cause all kinds of trouble. It can lead to security breaches, stolen data, and even identity theft.
Malware can be installed through infected files, so removing any infected files from your CMS as soon as possible is important. You should also run a virus scanner on any files that appear suspicious or unfamiliar—this will help keep them from being infected again later down the line!
After that’s done, update your CMS by downloading a new version from its official source (rather than from some sketchy website). Hackers usually exploit vulnerabilities in older versions of software.
However, updating CMS prevents this issue in future attacks because hackers won’t be able to take advantage of these weaknesses anymore!
Keeping Your Website Safe Is Keeping Everything Up-To-Date
Upgrading your CMS can be a huge task. You will need to check with your developer if you want to upgrade the CMS and then also update all of the software and plug-ins that run on it.
This could potentially mean multiple updates throughout the year, which can be time-consuming and expensive. However, with a reliable service provider to keep everything running smoothly, you can do other business tasks that need your full attention.
Good Data Base Management
Data security is a serious matter, and it’s more important than ever to protect your website from hackers. Without good database management practices, you could be setting yourself up to lose data and have a difficult time recovering it.
Control Access to Sensitive Data
In order to effectively control access to sensitive data, it’s important to understand what constitutes sensitive data. Sensitive data can be any information that is protected by law or regulation and can include personally identifiable information (PII), health information, financial information, trade secrets, and more.
The first thing you should do is make sure your system is secure. You can do this by using a firewall, antivirus software, password protection, and encryption.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll want to create a strong password policy for employees who have access to sensitive data. This will help ensure they are using the strongest passwords possible. It will also help prevent employees from sharing passwords with each other or writing them down in places where they could be compromised.
The next step is to implement an audit trail system so that you can track who accessed what and when. This will allow you to spot any suspicious activity quickly so that you can take action before any damage has been done.
Finally, if possible, try and limit the number of people who have access to sensitive data at all times. This will make it much more difficult for someone who does have access to cause harm with this information!
The Fewer Extensions, the Better
Database extensions are a way to store data in a specific format. For example, if you want to store information about your users in JSON or XML format, you can use an extension.
Extensions are not necessary for most applications, but they can be incredibly useful when you need them.
If you do use extensions (which is rare), be sure to monitor their activity and make sure that they don’t cause problems with other parts of your system. If one extension becomes popular and has many users accessing it at once, there may be delays as it tries to process all those requests at once.
However, extensions can also cause problems if they are not coded well. Because extensions run in the same process as your application, any bugs that exist in the extension will be able to affect your main code.
Thus, it can be especially problematic if you are using a third-party extension that hasn’t been thoroughly
tested before it is deployed.
Note: On-page and off-page strategies complement each other in that they often overlap. And when these two are combined with technical SEO, which relates to the site speed, mobile-friendliness, security, etc., you can compete with more established companies with a bigger budget.
Hosting Website's Security
Security updates are important for your visitors. If someone discovers a vulnerability that needs to be fixed, there will be an update released soon.
Unpatched vulnerabilities can cause security problems for everyone using the same hosting, even if they don’t use certain features that were compromised in the vulnerability discovery. Some vulnerabilities may not affect you at all if you don’t use certain features of WordPress or another content management system (CMS).
What security issues can you face when the hosting is patched?
Sometimes unexpected things can happen, like hosting providers patching their systems. In such a case, your website might go offline for a while—and that’s not always a good thing!
Below are some security issues you might face when the hosting is patched.
-SQL Injection: This type of hacking allows an attacker to run SQL commands on a database server.The most common way to do this is through websites and applications using forms or manipulating input fields on web pages.
-Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): The attacker can use a malicious code injected in a website to steal sensitive data from the user’s browser, access the user’s cookies, or otherwise take control of the browser to perform actions on behalf of the user
-Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): It is an attack that occurs when you send a user’s browser to a website they don’t intend to visit but think they’re visiting the site they intended.
-Clickjacking: It is done by placing the hidden button or link over the top of another page. When the user clicks on the button or link, their browser will follow through on your click and go to that page instead.
-Phishing: One of the most common types of cyber that involves Trojan horses or other malicious programs sent through email or websites in an attempt to extract personal information, such as login credentials, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers.
How to ensure your hosting website is fully secure by patching regularly?
To ensure that your hosting site is secure, you need to keep an eye on the updates. We recommend that you check for updates regularly and look out for these specific items:
-Plugins or themes installed on your website
-Core files of your website (the actual code)
-Database security measures
-SSL certificate (if applicable)
You can easily check the security updates in your cPanel. A hosting website is always more secure than a desktop PC because there are fewer ways for it to be hacked.
The downside is that there are more ways for hackers to infiltrate it when they do find vulnerabilities, so it’s important to patch it regularly so as not to leave these weaknesses open!
How to test if your hosting website is secure?
When you check for security updates, you will see that there are many features. There is a secure certificate, secure connection, and a secure login. There is also a secure payment gateway.
You can also check for the latest features from your hosting website. The security update covers all these aspects and more. The new patch is designed to cover all these areas with the most updated technology available in today’s world of computer security threats and hacks.
Invest in Malware Scanners
Malware is a computer program that is designed to damage or disable computers and computer systems. Malware can be spread by email, websites, files, and other programs. They can be used for many different purposes, such as stealing personal information, collecting information about users, or disrupting services.
They are an ever-evolving threat, and it can be hard to keep up with all the different threats out there.The truth is malware is everywhere and can take on many forms, so it’s important to know how to protect yourself from them.
What are the most common types of malware?
No company is immune to malware attacks, which is why it’s important to be aware of the different types of malware and how to protect yourself from them
Adware
It is typically displayed on web pages and can take many forms, but the most common are pop-up ads and banners. These ads are often used to promote products or services that may be useful to you, but they can also be deceptive.
Virus
It replicates itself and spreads from one computer system to another. It can do this either by attaching itself to an existing file or transmitting itself over a network. Viruses are usually designed to perform some sort of malicious activity, such as deleting data or taking over your system.
Worm
The term “worm” comes from the way it spreads—like a worm in an apple, it burrows into the device and infects other files, then moves outward from there.
Trojan
This type of malware disguises itself as something useful. It can be a program, file, or website. It’s also called a Trojan because it hides in plain sight and looks like a regular program but has malicious intent.
Spyware
It can track your activity on the computer. It records your keystrokes, captures screenshots, and monitors your browsing history. It can be installed by itself or bundled with other programs you download.
Malware Scanner is a must-have tool for any business that operates online. By scanning your system and website pages for signs of malicious activity, you can quickly identify any planned exploits and take appropriate countermeasures.
This may include installing antivirus software, updating firewalls, or taking other security measures to protect yourself from attacks.
Scanners also allow you to define custom alerts in case of suspicious activity on specific websites or domains. When these alerts are triggered, you will be notified so that you can investigate the situation further.
Additionally, monitoring your web traffic patterns and user behavior helps make sure that your site remains safe and protected against potential threats.
If there are ever any changes or anomalies spotted on either side of the digital fence (web server and browser), immediate action will be taken to address them before they escalate into something worse
LOJO Website Security Upgrade Guidelines
A software vulnerability is an open invitation to cyber criminals. In fact, 52% of small and medium businesses experience at least one cyber attack each year, and 83% of them have no financial plan to recover from these attacks.
This problem is only going to get worse as hackers become increasingly sophisticated and learn how to exploit vulnerable software. As a result, any business or individual with a website or online application should ensure that their software is up-to-date and secure.
You can take preventive measures, such as using the latest security measures, such as strong passwords, encrypting sensitive data, and installing antivirus protection and firewalls.
You also need to be aware of potential vulnerabilities in your system and take steps to address them before they are exploited.
LOJO’s Security Upgrade can help you to achieve this goal by providing round-the-clock protection against threats such as hackers, data breaches, and malware infections.
This service offers round-the-clock protection for your website and all its content, making it difficult for would-be attackers to penetrate your site and steal valuable data.
Apart from blocking unauthorized access, LOJO Secure also monitors traffic patterns and proposes intrusion detection systems (IDS) that detect suspicious activity on your site.
In the event that an attack does occur, our team is able to swiftly restore normal operations while ensuring that any stolen data is safeguarded.
At LOJO Marketing, our brand strategy is created by answering these critical questions.
