Boosting your website security

“The only secure computer is one that’s unplugged, locked in a safe, and buried 20 feet under the ground in a secret location… and I’m not even too sure about that one.”

You may have heard that quote before. It’s from Dennis Hughes, the first chief of the FBI’s computer investigations unit.

For websites, the equivalent is saying the safest website is one that isn’t connected to the internet. As soon as a website is live on the internet it is there for hackers to try and infiltrate.

This isn’t a doom and gloom post though, because there are steps that can be taken to improve security and give hackers a hard time in trying to gain access to your website.

Server security is crucial for protecting sensitive data and ensuring uninterrupted operations. The basic steps to take include

• Using strong passwords
• Regularly updating the CMS core and any plugins
• Deploying firewalls
• Using encryption
• Taking regular backups
• Proactively monitoring the site
• Maintaining strong access control.

On our servers we also use Imunify360, which is a comprehensive security suite that delivers proactive, real-time protection for the server and any websites on it.

Immunify360 is a powerful tool that combines an Intrusion Prevention system, a Web Application Firewall, realtime Antivirus protection, a Network Firewall and Patch Management.

By following these practices and setting up something like Immunify 360, you can significantly reduce the risk of cyberattacks.

Website security is paramount in today’s digital landscape. If you are using a CMS like WordPress there are some security plugins that can be installed to help boost security.

One of these plugins is called Wordfence. Wordfence helps boost security of websites by protecting them from malware, brute force attacks and other threats while offering real time scanning, firewall, and intrusion prevention features.

Whilst plugins like Wordfence boost security, some essential measures should be taken first.

If you website is running on a database – like WordPress does, using strong and complex passwords for those with database and CMS access is a must. No “password1” or “12345” thanks 😀.

There is one 3rd party service I have in mind: Cloudflare.

Cloudflare offers a robust suite of tools to enhance website performance, security and reliability. It acts as a shield, protecting websites from DDoS attacks, common web vulnerabilities, and other threats. Its web application firewall (WAF) provides an additional layer of security by filtering malicious traffic.

Cloudflare doesn’t just improve security, that’s only one tool in its arsenal. It can also improve performance by utilising its global network of data centres, and improve reliability by distributing traffic across multiple servers.