If you want to get ahead in the market these days, you would have to set up a website to extend your reach into the online world. These websites provide you with an online presence that was unheard of several years ago. While your website will attract more customers to your business, it will also receive unwanted attention from hackers and spammers.
Hacking is an activity aimed at unlawfully gaining access to digital devices or networks. In other words, it is simply entering areas without permission. Hackers may be motivated by personal gain or they simply want to make a statement. While the second motivation is not as serious, it does show weaknesses in the security of your website. The main reason why you should protect your website from hacking is to avoid having data stored on your website falling into the wrong hands. When hackers gain access to your website, they can obtain some or all of the data you stored on your website. It would include but not be limited to your personal details and the personal information of your customers, including their financial information. The information they obtain can be used for other illegal activities and will result in you and your customers losing money. Due to this, it is important for you to protect yourself from hacking.
There are several things you can do to protect yourself from hacking.
This is probably the most important step you should take to prevent hackers from accessing your website. Everything should be updated. If you are using WordPress, critical updates are released whenever the platform finds some issues or bugs in the system. When these updates are available, you should make sure to update your website. Aside from the CMS, you should also update the plugins and the WordPress theme you are using. Reputable developers normally provide updates to their plugins and themes when WordPress releases a new update for the platform.
When you set up a WordPress website, the default username is admin. You should change this since hackers normally use this when they attempt to hack websites. You can create a new user and log in using this new user. Attribute all the posts of the admin user to the new user before deleting the admin user. You should also take note that your username is available to the public. It is the same name used on your posts. Due to this, it is advisable to choose a username you want the public to see.
Another way to thwart hacking attempts is to have a unique password. You should make it impossible for anyone to crack. You can mix up lower and upper-case characters with symbols and numbers. This way it will take forever for the hacker to guess your password. Another thing, changing your password regularly is also advisable.
There are instances when hackers are able to bypass all security measures you set up for your website. When this happens, they may mess with your data and create havoc on the website. In these situations, you may end up losing everything on the website. This makes it important for you to create a backup for your files. Some hosting companies provide automatic backup services depending on the package you have. Even with the automatic backups, you should also create your own backup just to be sure.
Another way for you to prevent hackers from accessing your website is to install security plugins, such as WordFence. WordFence is a WordPress security plugin that provides protection to WordPress websites from malware and hacking attempts. It features an endpoint firewall along with a malware scanner. The plugin uses a Threat Defense Feed that is constantly updated to nip hacking attempts in the bud. This plugin essentially puts another wall to prevent hackers from getting into your website. But it is no ordinary wall since it has numerous features to stop hackers in their tracks.
Getting hacked is any website owner’s nightmare. Some would even consider it the end of the world. To prevent it from happening, you should take steps in preventing it from happening. In case you were hacked, you can get in touch with us and let us help your website up and running again.
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