It’s less costly to prevent a website hack then to fix it.
People hack websites for the same reasons they put viruses on your home computer. Those reasons are all primarily money driven but can be anything from using your website to attack other websites, using it to send spam emails, attacking large corporations, or even just bragging rights.
Your website is an investment for your company. You need to protect this just like you would any other investment. Some ways you can do this are:
Web Software Security
Update your website! Most people don’t like doing software updates, but it’s a necessary part of owning a website to prevent downtime.
If your website is built on a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, Drupal, Radiant, etc. then you will need to periodically update that software to protect your website. Usually, CMS’s also have plugins or modules which are pieces of software that attach to and extend the functionality of that CMS. You’ll need to update those as well. If you’re not sure how, ask your web developer or make sure that they are taking care of this for you.
Many times, hackers are betting on the fact that you’re not taking the simple security precaution of applying these updates. We recommend setting a reminder on your calendar and perform these updates once per month.
Server Software Security
If you don’t have managed hosting, make sure that a web technician is also updating your server. We provide this service automatically for any clients that host their website with us.
It all gets a little complicated. So if you’re having trouble understanding the difference between web and server software, just think of it as the server is like your computer at home. It’s a computer with operating system software like Windows 8 or Mac’s El Capitan. The website is like Microsoft Word or Mac’s Pages being on that computer. The computer’s operating system and the word processor are two separate pieces of software and both receive software updates that need to be applied. These protect your home computer from malicious software.
Back It Up
Make sure you have a backup system. If all else fails, you should always have a clean version of the website to start from. All of our web hosted clients have automatic backups and we also store a separate, clean version of the website for them in case something does happen.
If you keep putting this off, then have someone do it for you. It’s costs more to clean an infected website then it does to prevent it. We offer guaranteed monthly maintenance packages. If your site gets hacked, we fix it at no charge. You’re welcome to contact us at connect@revivedesignstudios.com or with our Contact page for more info on them.
