Website security is a technique of safeguarding a website from unauthenticated access and protecting website data. There are various techniques to tackle cyber security threats to maintain the security of a website.
Why do you need website security?
- Safeguard User Information: To protect users’ personal information like email, address, phone numbers and sensitive data like bank details, credit card information etc.
- Avoid Business Disruption: Hackers can apply various techniques including DDoS attacks and bot attacks, to slow down website loading or service availability which results in loss for businesses like e-commerce. Implementing proper security techniques can maintain the availability of services.
How to Secure a Website?
There are various techniques to secure a website like using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), implementing WAF (Web Application Firewall) & Content Delivery Network (CDN), keeping software up-to-date, taking regular backups, etc.
1. SSL
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is an internet security protocol that encrypts data between a website and browser or between two servers. SSL/TLS protocols operate in the presentation layer of the OSI model.
A website with SSL/TLS has its URLs with HTTPS instead of HTTP.
2. WAF
WAF (Web Application Firewall) is a security control system that monitors, filters and blocks HTTP traffic between your website and the internet.
A WAF helps to prevent various Application layer (layer-7 of OSI model) attacks including cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL Injection, Cookie poisoning and others.
A WAF can be of three types; network-based, host-based and cloud-based.
Network-based WAF are hardware based systems placed locally to minimize latency. It requires more cost, storage and maintenance than other WAFs.
Host-based firewalls can be implemented directly on a device or applications software. It is costly but provides many customizability.
Cloud-based firewalls are easy to implement and cost-friendly. They are subscription-based and offer updated solutions to mitigate the newest threats.
3. CDN
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a geographically distributed group of servers that helps to cache website content and deliver it to the user quickly. It reduces hosting bandwidth which helps in the availability of service. Some popular CDNs help to block distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on your website.
4. Coding & Design best practices
Validating user input to block against SQL injection attacks, user authentication, session management, and minimizing the use of third-party codes can help to secure a website.
5. Access Control
Securing a website backend/admin panel with a strong password, two-factor authentication and regularly checking and blocking unnecessary access helps to secure a website.
6. Up-to-date Software
Updating your server and application software regularly helps you defend against the newest types of attacks and threats.
7. Backup & recovery
Testing and implementing various data backup techniques and recovery procedures helps businesses to recover from any kind of situation and keep the business running.
FAQ: Securing a Website
How to check if a website is secure?
Check for padlock and https in URL, use browser add-ons to confirm whether a website is safe or not.
How to make a website secure?
Use SSL certificates, secure passwords, and two-factor authentication. Also, keep applications updated and take regular backups.
How to check vulnerability of a website?
Use a web application vulnerability scanner to check security vulnerabilities.
Also Read – How to Secure a WordPress Site
