4 Ways to Bolster Security in Web Design and Development

Web design and development that is done with data privacy and security as its key pillars crucial to keeping today’s online customers.

As the internet expands and data is exchanged and processed in heaps, cyber attacks have become more frequent than they ever have. Combining the customer trust and monetary costs of these, it’s become more critical to build and sustain strong security measures in web design and development.

To be exact, statistics on data breaches tell that around 4,800 websites in the United States are prey to cyber attacks each month. That’s thousands of websites and thousands more data – of your company and customers – at risk for theft or corruption.

Data breaches happen in the blink of an eye, and each time they happen, they lead to user trust crumbling. That, to a brand that wishes for continuing support from customers, is nothing short of a nightmare.

Gladly, strengthening measures that protect against these is simple enough. This guide, along with some resources on protecting data privacy in digital marketing, shows you how.

What is website security?

Is “any action taken or application put in place to ensure website data is not exposed to cybercriminals or to prevent exploitation of the website in any way.” Website security helps protect your business's data, hardware, and software. Digital marketing resources like a website need to be secured given that sensitive information is in them. 

Common website security threats you should be aware of

Websites, especially those built for enterprises, are the most targeted by cyber criminals. Motivated by the money that they gain by selling data that has been hacked, these malicious entities will try and of the following attacks:

1. Denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Are web security threats where attackers flood servers with large volumes of internet traffic to disrupt service. In turn, this renders your websites inaccessible to your regular user.
2. Viruses and worms. These are malicious programs that spread through computers and networks and exploit software vulnerabilities. While in this susceptible state, the attacker can steal data from your systems easily. In addition, they can install backdoor programs to illegally access corrupt files, and inflict damage a business website.
3. Spyware. Is malware that enables attackers to gather data from website users and send them to third parties without consent. It also collects sensitive information that an attacker can can share with entities that can misuse and profit from them.

How to check if your website is secure

You won’t know which security loopholes you need to fill in if you don’t know where or what tehy are. Hence, before we can teach you how to bolster your website security, we’ll first teach you how to identify these loopholes.

Here are a few things you can check for to assess if your website is secure.

1. Have you switched to HTTPS and secured your SSL certificate? 

This important layer of protection for both your website and its visitors. Furthermore, it can also improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) results so you could be on top of your keyword’s search results. 

2. Do you have a CAPTCHA or spam filter? 

If your business entails you to collect visitor information, a CAPTCHA or spam filter can help prevent bots and other strange 

3. Outsource a third-party website security checker. 

Apart from basic self-inspection of your website, it will also be better for your website to have its own website security testing tool to automatically check where your site might be vulnerable. While these tools come for a price, they can add a layer of security to your website. 

4. Assess your user access permissions.

Weak usernames and passwords are commonly the most effective way to attack your website, so make sure that all of them that strong elements to prevent hacking incidents. Furthermore, always restrict permissions in accessing the website by only providing admin access to those who will often need it. Also, remove inactive users as often as possible.

Basic website security best practices you should follow 

Developing a good website security schema is integral to protecting your business. Especially if you have huge amounts of data banked in your systems. Safeguarding them for your and your customers’ benefit should, therefore, be a top priority. 

Below are some best practices you can start with and build on, to meet the growing demand online safety.

1. Use HTTPS protocol.

A priority website security feature for all owners and developers, the HTTP protocol ensures secure communication between the web server and the client. Furthermore, HTTPS security prevents hackers from accessing the codes used to develop the website. 

2. Frequently update your website software. 

Your website has a lot of tools in order to run effectively, including content management systems (CMS), and website plugins, among others. Updating your software whenever necessary in order to install the latest security measures and patches. Outdated software becomes vulnerable to cyber-attacks. 

3. Always back up your website data.

When worse comes to worst, it’s best to come prepared. Regularly backing up your website is an essential measure in preserving the privacy and security of the information on the website. It allows the owner to keep and restore the critical data should the website be attacked by malicious malware. 

4. Install security plugins.

If you’re using a CMS for your website, you can enhance your website security by installing plugins that can prevent website hacking incidents from occurring. Each different CMS has equivalent security plugins that will surely get the job done. 

5. Make use of a content security protocol (CSP).

Another handy tool that can help protect your website from cross-site scripting attacks through a content security policy. This allows you to specify which domains a browser should consider valid sources of executable scripts when visiting your page. 

6. Tighten your network security.

Network systems can also become sources of malicious software to infiltrate your website. Your computers may be creating an unsafe pathway toward your website. Tighten your network security by expiring logins after a period of inactivity, a mandatory changing of passwords after a period of time, and tedious scanning of computers connected to the network. 

7. Apply for a web application firewall.

To further protect your website from any form of malware, you can apply for a web application firewall (WAF) to set boundaries between your website and your data connection. 

Key takeaways 

Websites offer many benefits for businesses like yours. Treat it as an asset that you must take care of at all times. In making sure that your website security features are working well with the following takeaways: 

• Keep everything updated. Outdated software makes your website vulnerable to viruses and cyberattacks, so make sure your CMS, web firewall and HTTPS are updated to the latest version for full safety and functionality of your website 
• Invest in reputable security tools. Give your website the security it needs by investing in a good firewall or security plug-ins for that extra layer of protection. Remember, you can’t rely on manual diagnosis all the time. 
• Don’t play safe. And we mean this in the nicest way possible. While you can trust your installed website security features, it’s always better to choose to backup the data on your website in case it goes down. 

Make your website secure for your business and a better user experience for your customers. Not sure where to start? You can talk with the experts here at Propelrr through our social media channels, or subscribe to our newsletter.