Godaddy WordPress Web Hosting Security: How to Prevent Hackers and Protect Your Site
A website is only as safe and secure as you make it. Hackers are getting more sophisticated, so it’s essential that you remain vigilant to prevent any unauthorized activity on your site. You need to be especially mindful of this as an entrepreneur or small business owner, where your main concern may be to maintain a good reputation for your brand.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to know where to start when it comes to website security. You’ll have to look at a lot of varied factors to ensure that your site is safe and secure, and that’s a ton of pressure. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and curated this comprehensive guide that will advise you of everything you need to know about web hosting security, and how to easily prevent hackers and keep your site safe and sound.
Set Up Your Own Firewall
If you’re running a business or website that’s accessible to the general public, you need to beef up your firewall security immediately. A good first step would be to establish a rule that all inbound network traffic must go through a firewall. This will help prevent external attacks from hackers who might be trying to break into your network.
You can also utilize free services like Cloudflare, which provides a free firewall for your site. Or you can use a VPN service to ensure that all your traffic is always encrypted and protected. When choosing a VPN service, make sure that you look for a reputable company with a good history, and that they offer strong security protocols, such as 256-bit encryption.
Use A VPN For All Traffic
Even if you’re only accessible to a small portion of the population, you’ll still have to protect all the connections that lead to your site. For this reason, we recommend using a VPN to ensure that all your traffic is always secure. A VPN allows you to connect multiple devices, such as your desktop, laptop, and mobile phones, and gives you the freedom to change your IP address as often as you like. This way, even if a hacker is somehow able to get past your firewall and gain access to your internal network, your VPN will still ensure that no one can view your site or resources without your express permission.
If you decide to go this route, make sure to pick a VPN that supports all the major platforms, like Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, ensure that your VPN is capable of handling large amounts of data because, as we mentioned, you’ll most likely be connecting from multiple devices. You don’t want to have a sluggish or slow VPN because it’ll most certainly impact your online experience. With all these tips in mind, you’ll be able to enjoy surfing the web securely and without any worries.
Use HTTPS
All the pages of your site, including the home page, should be served over a secure connection. If someone were to perform a site audit and discover that a large portion of your site’s content is being loaded over http:// instead of https://, they may think that you’re not taking the matter seriously enough. What’s more, search engines like Google may downgrade your ranking if they discover that your site isn’t secure. For this reason, it’s essential that you always use https:// when possible.
Use Strong Passwords
Passwords are one of the weakest links in any security system. Unfortunately, we’re often reminded of this fact when our accounts are hacked. Due to this, it’s essential that we beef up our password security, and make them strong enough to resist determined hackers. For this reason, we recommend using special characters, including both lowercase and uppercase letters, as well as numbers. Also, avoid using the same password for multiple accounts, as this makes them easier to break into. Lastly, make sure to change your passwords often, as they may become outdated due to frequent use.
Keep Your Devices Up-To-Date
In the same way your software needs to be updated to be efficient and secure, your devices need to be updated as well to avoid any security vulnerabilities. This is where we recommend getting automatic updates from your device manufacturers. It’s also important to ensure that your devices are running the most up-to-date versions of the software, as older versions may expose you to online threats. For instance, one of the recent Android security updates prevented several dangerous vulnerabilities, including the use of SQL injections and man-in-the-middle attacks.
Monitor The Activity On Your Site
It’s important to keep an eye on your site, especially if it’s public. This is where we recommend using tools like Google Analytics and Hadoop to track the amount of traffic and the types of devices that are accessing your site. This way, you can identify and fix any vulnerabilities as soon as they’re reported. Also, record-keeping is essential for any business, and it’s especially important for online businesses where it’s tough to keep track of every little thing. For this reason, we recommend using computer programs like XMS or Wave to track and monitor your website activity, conversion benchmarks, and much more. With this type of information, you’ll be able to properly plan and strategize for the future. In addition to this, you can use these programs to create detailed performance reports which can assist you in identifying weak spots on your website. This way, you can fix these problems before they become large scale security issues.
Monitor Your Credit Cards
It’s also important to keep track of your credit cards, and ensure that your card security protocols are up-to-date. For this reason, we recommend using a credit card processing service like ClickBank which can provide you with an additional layer of security, shielding you from potential online fraud. While there are a number of reputable companies which provide this service, it’s crucial that you understand what it is and how it works. For example, ClickBank uses secure sockets technology to transmit all your credit card information safely and securely to the payment provider. In addition to this, they perform monthly background checks on all transaction employees, and monitor for signs of fraud. This way, you can be sure that your sensitive financial information is safe and secure, and that your payments are being handled responsibly.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Many companies have realized the importance of two-factor authentication, and have implemented it into their systems. These systems use something you know, such as a password, and something you have, such as a mobile phone or a security code that is texted to you. Using two-factor authentication adds an additional step to the login process, and it will deter many would-be hackers who might try to gain access to your accounts. It’s also important to note that many banks, credit cards, and ID providers offer two-factor authentication as an option, so if you have access to this type of information, you should certainly utilize it.
Use A VPN To Protect All The Devices On Your Network
One of the primary ways hackers gain access to your network is via compromised devices. To protect yourself and your data, you should always use a VPN to connect all of your devices, whether they are mobile, or desktop. A VPN will prevent unauthorized access to your devices, as well as allow you to access all the content and resources on the internet, regardless of what location you may happen to be in. In addition to this, many VPNs allow you to set up different rules and configurations for different devices, helping you to better control and monitor which devices are accessible from your account. This is especially beneficial if you have a mixture of work and personal devices on your network. For example, you may want to set up a rule which prevents certain devices from accessing certain parts of the internet while letting other devices have free reign.
Choosing a VPN is fairly easy. You just need to make sure that you’re not falling for any apparent scams, and that the service is capable of providing excellent internet security. In addition to this, you also want to ensure that the provider offers solid customer support, as well as a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the service for any reason.
With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to enjoy surfing the web securely and without any worries. These pointers will help you choose a VPN which is right for your needs, and which will provide you with the greatest level of security possible. In the end, nobody wants to feel that their privacy has been invaded, or that their systems are at risk of being compromised. When choosing a VPN, it’s important that you’re not just looking for the cheapest or the easiest option available, but that you choose a reputable service which offers the best overall value for your money.