The internet provides an opportunity to reach millions of people worldwide, which can be both beneficial and harmful to businesses and individuals alike. Nobody likes to imagine the possibility of their site being hacked, but it often happens to sites that don’t even realize they have been compromised until it’s too late.
As more and more of our daily lives move online, it’s essential to follow website security checklist measures to keep it safe from malicious attacks. Read this website securityGet the Best Security with Switzerland VPS Server by OnLive Server checklist of items you can use to keep your site secure from vulnerabilities, spam, malware, and other threats.
Let’s get started!
1) Scan the Site for Security Vulnerabilities
You should regularly scan your site for security vulnerabilities as a website owner. Use a reliable website security scanner to check for common vulnerabilities. A security scanner work mechanism involves examining the website and informing of any vulnerabilities found on the site. Scanning a device usually begins with looking up the vulnerabilities of the target. A vulnerability database is used to research known issues, errors, and constructions.
The vulnerabilities of the target are narrowed down. This process usually starts with researching different paths that attackers might be using. There are many such scanners available online as well as in stores.
Regardless of the scanner used, it is essential that you periodically test the website’s security. So that if there are any vulnerabilities in it, you can fix them in time before hackers find them and exploit them to gain access to sensitive data stored on your website.
2) Keep All Software Up-to-Date
It is also vital that you keep software updated because hackers often use unpatched software and known flaws against websites by infecting them with malware or other viruses. In addition, make sure all users’ data is validated so that malicious code cannot steal user credentials or personal information from customers who visit your website.
Software updates come with new features tending to resolve the old vulnerabilities. For example, Node.js, a server rapidly used in web development, has had more than ten updates since its introduction.
Each update tends to be more secure and performs better than the previous one. Besides keeping you protected, the latest updates provide a more intuitive user experience as they offer smoother navigation.
Note: It is advisable not to rely on any single website security testing checklist item when designing your website. Rather have an inclusive one to avoid falling into a trap set by cybercriminals.
3) Use HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
HSTS is a security protocol that gives protection against man-in-the-middle attacks. It tells browsers to only connect to your website using HTTPS, not HTTP. It helps prevent attackers from being able to intercept traffic and read or modify data in transit.
HSTS also helps prevent cookies from being sent over HTTP, which can help protect against cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. To use HSTS, you must have a valid SSL certificate installed on your server. You can add the HSTS header to your website’s HTTP response headers.
The header tells browsers how long they should remember to only connect using HTTPS. You can also specify that browsers should only connect using HTTPS for all subdomains of your website. The working mechanism of HSTS involves an included file called hsts.inc containing these statements:
- SetEnvIf Origin ^http://example\.com$ hsts=1
- SetEnvIf Origin ^https://example\.com$ hsts=1
Header always set Strict-Transport-Security max-age=15768000; includeSubDomains env=hsts
Optionally, you can use this configuration to allow browsers to request an unsecured connection: Header always set Strict-Transport-Security max-age=0; includeSubDomains env=hsts.
4) Always Validate User Input with 2FA
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a must in today’s day and age. Not only does it add a secured layer, but it also helps to validate user data and keep your website safe from potential attacks. Here’s a quick rundown of how 2FA works:
- A user enters their login details
- They receive a code via text message or phone call (this is referred to as something you know),
- It is followed by another code generated randomly (this is called something you have).
- The two codes are entered as a password, and 2FA is complete.
Using 2FA protects your user data and website from potential attacks. It’s imperative to run high-value sites with sensitive information that can’t be retrieved once it’s gone. When choosing between 2FA options, check which devices your provider allows users to use for sending codes.
5) Get Frequent Penetration Testing Done by an Expert Company
Your website is only as secure as its weakest link. With new vulnerabilities and attacks every day, you must ensure you’re doing everything possible to keep your site safe. Penetration testing is a process where an external company (after your permission) attempts to break into your site to find security flaws and learn how to defend against them.
It sounds scary, but it’s a more effective way of doing what hackers do when they try to break into sites: figure out where the weaknesses are so they can exploit them! Plus, if the hacker were able to breach the system in this way, penetration testing will provide you with information on how they did it so that you know how best to defend against future attacks.
The process effectively eliminates threats because it allows you to learn about vulnerabilities before an attack happens. There are many ways for web servers to be vulnerable, from having old software or weak passwords to not updating their plugins regularly. Penetration testing will help eliminate these threats by letting you know what needs fixing and where.
Top website development companies should perform penetration testing before deploying the software. The most reputable and qualified experts in this field should be certified and have experience working with high-level systems.
6) Deploy a Web Application Firewall on your Server
A web application firewall is security software that sits on the server and protects your website from attacks. It can detect and prevent problems before they happen, which means you have one less thing to worry about.
What is the best way to protect your site? You need the right mix of products and services tailored to your needs. Hire the top web design companies in india, and ensure you’re protected from hackers and malicious code so you can focus on running your business effectively.
A web application firewall works by checking all incoming requests through the WAF device to see if they match any patterns or behaviors that indicate an attack. If it does, it will block them automatically and stop anything harmful from coming to your site.
Web application firewalls are critical because they provide an extra layer of protection against many forms of attack like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, malformed request attempts (RCE), and more.
If someone tries to do something that would typically break your website’s rules—like inputting invalid content into a form field—a WAF will keep them out with no harm done.
Read Also: Offshore Software Development Trends to Follow in 2022
Wrapping Up
It’s important to periodically review your website’s security measures to ensure that you do everything possible to keep your site safe. A website security testing checklist can help you identify potential areas of weakness on your site.
Periodically testing involves ascertaining that the website has been secured from the latest hacking threats such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), script kiddies, denial of service (DoS) attacks, and brute force attacks.
