Sales. Without it, companies would crumble.
It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in or how passionate you are — your business will still crumble.
However, amassing sales isn’t the only thing that companies need to concern themselves with — protecting their company from cyberattacks is also just as important.
The fact is, if you don’t safeguard your company from hackers and other cybercriminals, you might end up paying thousands of dollars to hackers just to retrieve your data — that, in itself, can be the impetus to shut down your business.
And so the question becomes, how are you supposed to secure your online business from cyberattacks?
That’s what we’ll cover in this article.
1. Encrypt Your Website Using SSL Certificates
Encryption adds a protective layer for your website and its users by converting readable information into a code, which can only be decoded with an encryption key.
Using SSL encryption on your website secures the transfer of information — such as login credentials and credit card details — through your site.
Aside from keeping your website secure, using an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor in Google, which can help your site rank higher in search pages if you have it in place.
You will know if your website’s SSL certificate is active if it shows “HTTPS” instead of “HTTP,” and it has the padlock icon beside it.
Enabling SSL certificates is a crucial strategy to improve your website security and prevent hackers from accessing the sensitive information of your customers and your business.
2. Work with third-party cybersecurity services
“Prevention is better than cure.”
This phrase applies to both humans and web security because one of the best defenses against cyberattacks is to prevent them before they even happen.
If left unprotected, your business could suffer a severe blow from cyber attacks that aim to disrupt your operations, steal highly sensitive data from your business and customers, and even ruin your brand’s reputation (among other things).
An excellent way to get better protection, detect, and prevent cyber threats is to collaborate with third-party web security services.
Cybersecurity companies like Bulletproof offer features such as threat monitoring, incident response protocols, and penetration testing.
Here are some in-depth features you can get from cybersecurity providers:
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- Hack simulations to identify the vulnerabilities in your network that need to be redesigned or fixed.
- Perform automated scans of your web and mobile applications to determine the level of risk exposure to external parties.
- Regular system scans to check your system’s malware exposure.
- Approved Scanning Vendors (ASV) scans to keep compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) that aims to protect the confidential information of cardholders.
The first line of defense for your business should be a system of preventive measures in the event of a cyber attack.
Also, with the help of cybersecurity services, you will be protecting the integrity and confidentiality of your business, as well as your customers’.
3. Create Strong Passwords
If you’re one of those people who use the same password in all your account logins, then I have some news: you are most at risk of compromising all your accounts if hackers gain access to your login credentials.
Using weak passwords and usernames is bound to get your website on the radar of hackers using scanners to detect these kinds of vulnerabilities in your web security.
To ensure that you are using strong passwords for your website, use online tools like Passwordmeter.com to check the strength of your password.
By using tools like these, you can also determine the factors that make your password strong or weak such as the number of characters, special characters, upper case letters, and others that will help you meet the required password standards.
Here are other tips to remember when creating your password:
- Use as many special characters as you can. When it comes to passwords, don’t make it simple. Remember, the more complicated your password is, the harder it is to crack.
- Don’t make your password obvious. Avoid using your name, birthday, or address. Information like these can be in public records, making them easy for anyone to access.
- Use password manager apps or tools. Tools like StickyPassword and LastPass lets you come up with complex passwords, and store them in a “vault” to keep them safe.
Increase your protection against cybercriminals aiming to steal your personal information by using strong and complex passwords.
4. Use CAPTCHA
Is your website is getting weird comments and spam messages from unknown sources that are in no way related to your site?
If you answered with a “yes,” then what you can do to minimize these incidences is to enable CAPTCHA on your forms to make sure that real humans are using them.
With CAPTCHA, users need to verify they are human by selecting the correct photos that correspond to what is being requested. This can help protect your forms and filter out spam and bots.
Also, another strategy to secure your online business is to use plugins from open source content management systems to help filter out spam.
It may not eliminate spam from getting to your website, but it’s a good security measure to protect against site spamming.
5. Employ Two-Step Authentication
The two-step authentication process requires you to enter your password and verify your user identity by sending you a text with a one-time password or by having you answer a security question.
In case of an account security breach, having two-step authentication in place adds another layer of protection, since logging in requires an additional step that only the account owner has access to.Although employing two-step authentication may not be a completely bulletproof solution, it’s a good strategy that can help reduce the risks of fraud and protect your account from hackers.
What’s Next?
Establishing your web security should be your priority if you want to secure your online business.
Aside from protecting the highly sensitive information of your customers and your business, employing online safety and security measures builds customer trust, which can translate into better sales.
Give these tips a try and see how they can contribute to the success of your business. What other web security must-have strategies do you plan on leveraging this year?
Let us know in our comments section below. Cheers!
