Making the Case for Better Website Security This Year
by Anna Johansson
You don’t need a degree in cyber security to see just how serious cyber attacks are for small businesses and ecommerce websites. The volume of attacks continues to rise, and businesses need to take every precaution to stay safe.
How You Can Focus on Website Security
If you haven’t taken a look at the latest cyber crime data, statistics, and predictions, you’re probably in for quite a shock. According to data curated by CSO Online:
- By 2021, the total cost of cyber crime damage is expected to top $6 trillion.
- Cybersecurity spending will exceed $1 trillion from 2017-2021.
- It’s believed that global ransomware damage costs exceeded $5 billion last year.
At a time when cyber attacks are at an all-time high, an alarming number of businesses aren’t paying enough attention to website security. One study suggest as much as 86 percent of all websites have at least one serious vulnerability. The law of averages would suggest that your company’s website falls into this category.
The good news is that website security is something you can improve and make a strength of your business. Here are some ways you can do this:
1. Invest in HTPPS
If your website is still operating under HTTP, it’s time to transition to HTTPS. The latter is a website security mechanism that encrypts information sent between browsers and the web server. This prevents the classic “man-in-the-middle attack” in which cyber criminals steal credit card information.
Almost every reputable ecommerce business has HTTPS. Just ask Estate Diamond Jewelry, which considers its SSL certificate to be one of the most important investments the company has made.
As they explain, “We serve a high-end group of consumers who often spend thousands of dollars in a single transaction. HTTPS security allows us to put their minds at ease and assure them that our website is a safe place to conduct business.”
If you’re unsure of how to proceed, here’s a good guide on getting set up with an SSL certificate.
2. Use Better Passwords
Password hygiene is a serious issue. The more proactive you are in this area, the less likely it is that your website will become compromised.
A lot of businesses use predictable or default passwords, which can easily be cracked by even the most amateur hackers. One practical way to significantly reduce risk is by strengthening your administrator passwords and regularly changing them every few weeks.
3. Encourage Employees to Hack
While you can probably identify the biggest security loopholes and fix them on your own, it’s the little issues that go undetected that will ultimately trip you up. In order to catch these vulnerabilities, challenge your IT team to “hack” your website from time to time. Reward anyone who finds a loophole and then figure out a way to close it up.
4. Consider Cyber Insurance
In today’s online environment, you can never be safe enough. Even if you’ve done everything you possibly can to secure your website, there’s always a slight risk of attack. Considering that an attack can cost businesses thousands of dollars, it may be wise to invest in cyber insurance as a safety net against a major breach.