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Protect your website from hackers in 5 easy steps

Protect your website from hackers in 5 easy steps

Hacking is, and always has been, on a steady rise. If you think you’re safe because your website is boring, you couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve seen furniture sites hacked…so I WOODn’t push site security to the side if I were you!

Now, before we get into this, let me just say:

No website is “hackproof”…

…however, you can make it very damn hard for hackers to try do any damage.

Here’s how to protect your website from hackers in 5 easy steps:

 

1)    Update your website regularly

Whether you’re on WordPress, Magento, OpenCart or something else; regular security updates are sent out. Security patches to make it even more difficult for hackers to get into your site, so make sure your website is up to date. Don’t wait to update your site, do it right away!

Update your website

2)    Change admin panel URL

Having your URL as example.com/admin is the first URL hackers will try in order to gain access to your site. Why make it that easy for them? Change it to something weird and complex. Use your imagination and watch as hackers squirm trying to gain access to your site.

 

3)    Choose a complex admin password

Common sense just isn’t so common anymore. Having “hello12345” as a password won’t cut it.

In a recent article, there was a study conducted finding the most common debit pin in America. If you’d like to find out the answer, you can find it here.

Here’s a mini checklist your password should meet to be considered “strong”:

  • 15+ characters in length
  • Include upper and lower case characters
  • Include punctuation and special characters
  • Finally, it should also include numbers too

Meeting these 4 important requirements will ensure the frustration of anyone trying to hack into your admin panel.

Example password:

67adAf’-*0046Ef

Complex Password

4)    Use two-factor authentication

Whilst some of you may have complex passwords, it’s simply not be enough. Two-factor authentication makes it so that anyone trying to access your admin panel will be required to sign in.

Then, when they reach your admin panel, they’re required to sign in again…hence the phrase “TWO-factor authentication.”

It isn’t timely and quite easy to do. Simply install a plug-in and you’re ready to go!


Here’s a good resource for people looking at two-factor WordPress Plug-ins:

https://torquemag.io/2016/04/5-two-factor-authentication-plugins-wordpress/

If you’re on Magento, you’re going to want to check this out:

https://www.wow-zone.com/blog/5-ways-to-protect-your-magento-site-from-hackers/


 

5)    Use HTTPS

Consumer trust is a big issue. Once it’s gone, 90% of the time, it’s not coming back. If you’re an ecommerce website, or a site that would require customers to enter sensitive information; you NEED to invest in an SSL certificate. Security doesn’t have a price; however, this investment is small and can go a long way.

SSL Certificate
https://www.hostgator.com/ssl-certificates

Who would’ve thought it would be this easy to protect your website from hackers in 5 easy steps. Take some time out of your working day to implement these changes (or ask your web developer to do it for you) and your web security will go through the roof.

Website security is also essential to customers, so it affects your business more than you think.

Qasim Majid About the author
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