FBI reported that cybersecurity cases had increased 300-400% during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Where cases before COVID were around 1000 per day, they got drastically elevated to 3000-4000 during the pandemic.
This sudden surge implies two things a) the website’s incompetence in mitigating these threats and b) the use of advanced malware by hackers.
We cannot control (b), but we can certainly do something about (a). If our websites are incompetent, we cannot blame anybody for hacking but us.
So, to help you repel cyberattacks, we are going over ten ways to secure your website on a budget.
Let’s take a look:
Strong password hygiene
First things first, what do you make out of your admin panel passwords?
Are they 12-characters long? Do they have a special symbol somewhere in them? And are they framed in both upper- and lower-case letters or not?
If your answer is ‘yes,’ you are good to go to the next step, but if it’s a ‘no,’ we have a huge loophole here.
Strong passwords are essential if you want to sustain the internet for long. This is because your entire business depends on 12-16 characters.
So, ensure that your passwords are framed according to modern standards.
Buy a Cheap SSL Certificate To secure your website
Yes, we didn’t forget that we told you this article would only talk about budget-friendly tactics.
But you cannot substitute SSL with anything else. Wondering why it is so important?
Well, let’s talk about it.
An SSL or Secure Socket Layer certificate is a security protocol used to encrypt your website’s connection allowing your data to pass in an encrypted format instead of plain text.
When data is passed from a browser to a server, it has to go through the server. That is why you need to create a secure network where only you and the receiver can see what is getting transferred.
In today’s world, no website can sustain itself without an SSL because it holds immense value in the search engine and payment card industry’s context.
Non-SSL websites do neither rank in the search results nor accept payments online.
SSL can be of different types: a single-domain SSL cert, wildcard ssl, and a multi-domain SSL cert. You can buy ssl as per your requirements. The encryption level will remain same in all SSL certificates. The number of domains and subdomains will be varied upon SSL types and SSL providers.
For a static website, a single domain SSL is hunky-dory. For multiple websites, a multi-Domain SSL certificate is perfect, but for a website with multiple domains and subdomains a wildcard ssl certificate is a most suitable. So you need to purchase it as per your website needs from the reliable ssl provider.
Emphasize software updates
Software companies employ an in-house team of developers who monitor changing cybersecurity dynamics.
They quickly respond to any vulnerability found in the software and issue a patch for it.
But installing or not installing such patches is totally in the hands of software users. Moreover, if security patches are not installed, hackers can exploit loopholes and compromise the software.
So, never take software updates lightly.
Choose a reputable host.
While choosing your host, you may not emphasize other factors than its ability to provide uninterrupted hosting services.
But hosting companies also have the responsibility of keeping data backups. So in the event of a disaster, if your hosting company has all your data backed up, you can rely on them to retrieve your information.
Reputed hosting service providers keep regular backups. They provide plenty of other services like extensive security tools as well.
But, before choosing a reliable hosting partner, we recommend checking its reviews and ratings on Google.
Create backups
If you want to secure your site on a budget, it is best not to rely on websites and host providers for your data protection.
You can create multiple backups and store your data in different locations. You can also use cloud-based backup websites that automatically store all your website data on the cloud.
Cloud-based backup systems are feasible because you can access them from anywhere at any time.
Hard drives seem to fail at any minute. In the event of a cyberattack, they may or may not help you. Therefore, it is best to rely on these cloud backups for data retrieval.
Run a website audit
At times, it becomes tough to identify vulnerabilities in the system. Only professional cyber experts and developers can pick up the flaws.
We recommend getting your site fully audited by a cybersecurity team to ensure that no such vulnerability remains on your website.
You can get it audited every six months, and rest assured of your safety. Moreover, site auditors can also suggest tools and tricks fight the latest surge in cybercrime.
Therefore, you will also come to know about the potential problems that cybercriminals may cause to your website.
Get a two-factor authentication in place.
Coming back to your login page, you must vary the ever-growing threat to your admin panel.
An excellent way to ensure that your password remains untouched you can use two-factor authentication.
It acts as a protective layer over your password. Any user that wishes to enter your website must enter a unique 4–6-digit code sent on their registered mobile number or email address.
Also, you must not use email as a medium to receive the unique PIN because emails are not encrypted. Therefore, hackers can compromise them and get the code.
So, use your mobile number to share your PIN instead of your email address.
Disallow automatic on-site comments
You must be wondering why we ask you to bar people from commenting directly on your website, right?
We know that comments bring more engagement but, not all people who comment on your site are real people!
Hackers can use bots and fake accounts to post malicious links on your site. Not only will it be annoying, but if some user or even you end up accidentally clicking on those links, they may redirect you to a malicious website that can inject malware into your system.
So, allow comments only after checking them manually.
Do not hand your information over to anyone.
We know, at first, it may sound like a what are you trying to say? Moment. And, trust us, we are aware that you know how to secure a website better than most by now.
But still, there is a substantial number of cyberattacks that happen due to human error. For example, people share their bank details and addresses on calls and emails, thinking; a genuine person is talking from the other side.
Hackers can certainly pick your phone number from your website and call you like someone from your post office or bank.
So, never share your information with anyone.
Do not post everything on your social media.
Today, people do not need your ID to know more about you. Instead, they can get it all by spying on your social media profile.
In this information age, you cannot control who views your profile. That is why it is best not to post anything on your social media other than what you compulsively have to.
If you share your details on an open social media platform, you only invite much trouble.
Hackers will have more information to guess your password from.
Final Thoughts
Website security is not about using a thousand different expensive tools to protect your website.
A few proper measures can certainly turn the tides in your favor. But, first, you need to invest in basic security like an SSL certificate and a cloud-backup partner who can keep your data safe from hackers.
Cybersecurity is getting more complicated every day. Hackers are inventing new ways to compromise the current systems set by developers. Therefore, you should never miss out on plugin and CMS updates.
To create a robust system on a budget, you need to be good with your passwords and comment activity on your website.
Only a good regulator can ensure optimum website security. So, follow these ten cost-friendly points given above to provide the best security to your website.