In today’s highly digital age, a lot of transactions happen over the internet. Although it provides an increasingly connected world that makes our lives a lot easier, the risk of exposing one’s most crucial information to hackers and other cybercriminals is high.
The bad news is, the number of attacks will continue to rise as hackers eventually become sophisticated over time.
In this post, we will talk about the most common ways your data could be stolen, as well as some of the precautions that you need to take to keep it safe. After all, prevention is key to keep cyberattacks at bay.
Using a Weak Password
Malicious individuals could try out different password guessing techniques until they figure out what their victims are using. This could be in the form of trying out common passwords or scanning various combinations of letters and numbers.
To avoid this from happening, come up with a strong password that’s difficult to guess.
Overlooking Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is an additional security layer that’s added to the conventional password-based authentication.
This verifies whether or not you’re the individual accessing the user’s personal data by requesting an SMS or through a generated code.
That way, even if the attacker knows your username and password, they’d still be locked out from your account, because they don’t have the final code to the authentication chain.
Using Outdated Software
Outdated software could be missing an essential patch that could account for serious vulnerability.
Ensure that all your plugins, CMS, web server software, and all other necessary software are set to update automatically. If that is not an option for you, you could set up a cadence by which you could check for updates manually.
Use of Shared Hosting
If your site is hosted along with hundreds of other sites in a single server, the likelihood that yours will be vulnerable to attacks are high.
So, when choosing a web host, make sure that they enforce strong security in their system, and you could opt for VPS or dedicated hosting service instead. You can even verify your preferred host’s feature by typing in something like “Hostgator review” on Google.
Social Engineering Attacks
These kinds of attacks often trick users that they are providing important information to a legit website.
That’s why you must ensure that all email addresses are matched perfectly to the one that your providers are using. Also, never give your personal information to a person that you are not familiar with.
Infected Local Computer
Your computer could be infected with malware or virus, which could also make your site susceptible to hacking and other exploits in a variety of ways.
To prevent your site from being hacked, make sure that you always keep your anti-malware and anti-virus software updated on your computer.
Physical Security Threats
Physical security threats are underestimated as compared to security threats like malware and phishing.
What people do not know is that physical security threats happen when the culprit can access confidential information from stolen devices.
Once someone gets hold of these confidential from a system that is not password-protected, physical security breaches could happen.
Third-Party Integrations
What third-parties are integrated into your site? Although these types of integrations could offer excellent features to you and your customers, it could also easily leave the door open for hackers.
So, make sure that the third-party integrations you have are from trustworthy and reliable sources. Not to mention that you should take the necessary steps to ensure that your website, as well as your customers’ security, is well-protected.
Data Leaks
When a data is improperly handled or uploaded, then it could be part of a leak.
For instance, “dorking” refers to the use of search engines to look for compromised data online.
So, make sure that only your most trusted employees have access to the information they need. You could also utilize URL removal tools so that your sensitive URLs will not show up on search results.
Over to You
So, there you have it. The tips mentioned above are the ways that you could protect your site from threats.
Remember that security is not just a single action or event. It should start with cybersecurity measures, and the responsibility begins and ends with you.
About the Author – Matt Ahlgren is the co-founder of Website Hosting Rating. Our mission is, to tell the truth about web hosting companies by giving you honest, unbiased reviews of some of the most popular web hosting companies. He is a web developer with in-depth skills in SEO and affiliate marketing. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his family and taking his pug for a walk.
