Building a website can be a daunting task, particularly when it comes to making sure that the website is secure. Malware, viruses, and traffic-based attacks are all very real threats to websites everywhere. In this blog, we will learn 7 methods or steps on how to make a website secure.
Fortunately, you can take steps to prevent these attacks and have a safe website for both you and your users.
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Why do You Need to Invest in Making Your Website Secure?
Your website is likely one of your most valuable online assets. It’s how you attract new customers and grow your business.
A website security breach can have serious consequences for your business. A malicious attack could take your site offline, damage your reputation, and cost you a lot of money in lost revenue.
Website security is important for another reason. If your site is hacked, the attacker could use it to distribute malware or launch attacks against other websites. This could put you at risk of legal action and damage the reputation of your business.
Victims Of Data Breach
In this section, we will list big brands that become victims of such hacks which led to the biggest data breach in history.
- Equifax (147 million people’s data was breached in 2017)
- Yahoo (all three billion user accounts were affected in 2013)
- Marriott (500 million customer records were stolen in 2018)
- eBay (145 million users’ information was hacked in 2014)
- Target (110 million people’s data was stolen in 2013)
- Home Depot (56 million credit card numbers were exposed in 2014)
So these are some of the biggest brands that have become victims of data breaches. These hacks could have been prevented if these companies had taken proper security measures. As you can see, no one is safe from these attacks. That’s why it’s important to take steps to secure your website and protect your data.
How to Make a Website Secure?
There are many steps you can take to make your website more secure. Here are seven ways to make your website safer for all parties involved:
1. Use strong passwords and change them often
One of the most important things you can do to keep your website secure is to use strong passwords. Strong passwords should be a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. They should also be changed on a regular basis – at least every few months.
In addition to using strong passwords, you should also make sure that you’re not using the same password for multiple accounts. If one of your passwords is compromised, all of your accounts could be at risk.
Finally, you should consider using a password manager to help keep track of your passwords. Password managers can generate strong passwords and store them securely so that you don’t have to remember them all yourself.
Alternatively, You can use our Password Generator tool to create passwords of any length which is relatively hard to crack for hackers.
Go to the tool page here, You have two options to configure, the first is complexity;
It’s to configure if you want your password hard to crack then you can use high (which we recommend) or if you want it to be rememberable then you can choose lower.
Second is the length of the password, by default it’s 9 but you have an option to change it according to your need.
You can also check the password strength using the Password Strength checker tool here.
Use two-factor authentication
Another way to make your website more secure is to use two-factor authentication (also known as two-step verification). Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter both a password and a code that is sent to your phone.
Even if someone manages to guess or crack your password, they won’t be able to log in without also having access to your phone.
There are many different ways to set up two-factor authentication, but one of the most popular is to use a plugin for WordPress which is called Two Factor Authentication By David Anderson, an original plugin by Oskar Hane and enhanced by Dee Nutbourne.
2. Install and Scan Malware or Virus Using Web-Based Script
One of the most important ways to keep your website secure is to regularly scan it for malware and viruses. There are many different ways to do this, but one of the easiest is to use a web-based script like Website Protection by Sucuri or sitegaurding.
Sitegaurding Website Protection will scan your website for malware and viruses and remove any that it finds. It’s a good idea to scan your website on a regular basis, even if you don’t think it’s been compromised.
All you need to do is download the script here and upload the antivirus_scanner.php file into your root folder of the website such that you can browse through “https://yourwebsite.com/antivirus_scanner.php”
After going into the URL it will ask you the URLs you want to scan and E-mail to send you the detailed report. Next, follow along with the on-screen process to complete scanning and remove or quarantine the virus-infected files.
Sucuri Website Protection will also monitor your website for any changes that might indicate that it has been hacked. If Sucuri Website Protection detects any suspicious activity, it will send you an alert so that you can take action to secure your website.
You can sign up for Sucuri Website Protection here.
3. Regularly back up your website data
Backing up your website data is important for two reasons. First, it gives you a way to restore your website if it’s ever hacked or corrupted. Second, it allows you to experiment with changes to your website without worrying about losing any important data.
There are many different ways to back up your website data, but one of the most popular is to use a plugin like All-in-one Migration or UpdraftPlus for WordPress.
You can read the detailed guide here on How to backup the WordPress site (5 Methods) – The Ultimate Guide.
Both of these plugins will allow you to automatically back up your website data on a regular basis. You can also schedule manual backups if you want more control over when your backups are created.
Once you’ve installed one of these plugins, all you need to do is go to the plugin settings and configure it to suit your needs.
We recommend that you set up automatic backups and store them off-site in a cloud storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive. This will ensure that your website data is always safe, even if your server is hacked or destroyed.
4. Harden your Website Security with SSL/HTTPS Certificate
One of the best ways to make your website more secure is to use an SSL/HTTPS certificate. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a protocol that encrypts data sent between your website and your users’ browsers.
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a variation of the standard web protocol that includes SSL encryption.
How does SSL work?
When a user visits a website, their browser will request the server for a copy of the website. The server will then send back the requested files to the browser.
If SSL is enabled, the browser and server will first establish an SSL connection before exchanging any data. Once the connection is established, all data sent between the browser and server will be encrypted.
When you use SSL/HTTPS on your website, it protects your data from being intercepted by third parties. It also helps to build trust with your users, as they can see that their data is safe when they visit your website.
This makes it much more difficult for hackers to intercept and read the data.
You can get an SSL/HTTPS certificate from a number of different providers, but we recommend using Let’s Encrypt. Let’s Encrypt is a free, open-source SSL/HTTPS certificate provider or Namecheap’s SSL certificates which is the best in class for your website.
If you’re using WordPress, you can also use a plugin like Really Simple SSL or WordPress Force SSL to automatically enable SSL/HTTPS on your website.
Both of these plugins will redirect all traffic from your website to the secure SSL/HTTPS version of your site. This is important because it ensures that all data sent to and from your website is encrypted.
It’s also important to note that you should only use one of these plugins on your WordPress site. Using more than one plugin can cause conflicts and may break your website.
5. Use firewalls to protect your servers
A firewall is a system that helps to protect your servers from attacks. It does this by blocking all incoming traffic that is not specifically allowed.
This helps to prevent hackers from accessing your servers and stealing your data.
There are a number of different firewalls available, but we recommend using either Cloudflare or Sucuri Website Firewall.
Both of these providers offer a number of different features that will help to protect your website. They also have free and paid plans, so you can choose the option that best suits your needs.
Once you’ve signed up for a plan, you’ll need to add your website to their system. This is usually done by adding a DNS record.
Once your website is added, the firewall will start to protect your site from attacks.
You can also use a WordPress plugin like Wordfence Security to add an extra layer of protection to your website. Wordfence is a free plugin that includes a number of different security features, including a firewall.
It’s important to note that you should not use more than one firewall on your website. This can cause conflicts and may break your site.
These are just a few of the ways that you can make your website more secure. By taking these steps, you can help to protect your website from malware, viruses, and traffic-based attacks.
Do you have any other tips for making a website more secure? Let us know in the comments below.
6. Restrict access to sensitive areas of your website
One of the best ways to protect your website is to restrict access to sensitive areas. This includes your admin area, payment pages, and any other areas that contain sensitive data.
You can do this by creating a custom .htaccess file and adding the following code:
AuthType Basic
AuthName “Site Description”
AuthBasicProvider file
AuthUserFile /usr/local/data/www/your_web_name/userlist.txt
Require valid-user
We advise you not to copy-paste the above code if you don’t know what you doing or you don’t have basic PHP development knowledge.
This code will create a user list file that you can populate with the usernames and passwords of the people who should have access to your website.
Only people who have a valid username and password will be able to access the areas of your website that are restricted.
You can read the full guide here.
You can also use a WordPress plugin like WP-Members or MemberPress to restrict access to areas of your website.
Both of these plugins are easy to use and will help you to protect your website from unauthorized access.
Next is to prohibit crawlers to crawl your sensitive directories by editing the robots.txt file on your website. you can view the guide by google on the same by going here.
7. Monitor site traffic and activity
Monitoring your website traffic is a good way to stay on top of any suspicious activity. If you notice any unusual or unexpected activity, you can take steps to investigate and determine if there is a problem.
There are a number of different ways to monitor your website traffic. We recommend using Google Analytics or Jetpack for WordPress.
Both of these tools are free to use and will give you a detailed view of your website traffic.
You can also use a WordPress plugin like Sucuri Website Security or configure Cloudflare to monitor your website for any suspicious activity. Sucuri offers both free and paid plans, so you can choose the option that best suits your needs.
By taking these steps, you can help to make your website more secure and protect it from malware, viruses, and traffic-based attacks. Do you have any other tips for making a website more secure? Let us know in the comments below.
The Bottom Line
Website security should be taken seriously by website owners to avoid any type of data breach or attacks. By following the tips in this article, you can help to make your website more secure and protect your data. Do you have any other tips for making a website more secure? Let us know in the comments below.
