Tips for making your website more secure

Tips for making your website more secure

Keep everything updated

The software and content management system (CMS) of your website must be up to date in order to benefit from new protections that address weaknesses in previous versions. If your website uses a CMS like WordPress, updates to make your site more secure are automatically signaled in your admin dashboard. After each update, you should check the entire site to ensure the new update doesn’t cause issues, such as with the front-end display.

Backup your website

A secure website is one that has backups. A backup copy allows you to quickly restore your website if it gets hacked. Hosting providers offer automatic backups at varying frequencies, either weekly or daily, of all your files that were used to create the website and its database. There are also different backup methods, such as full or incremental backups. An incremental backup only copies your changes since the last backup, making it faster.

A full backup is a more demanding process that can slow down your service during the operation. The longer you keep your backup copies, the more flexibility you’ll have to identify and fix issues using those backups. However, you’ll need more storage space for the copies.

Install an SSL certificate (HTTPS)

The term HTTPS, or HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure, refers to implementing a security protocol that guarantees the confidentiality of information for users of your website. More specifically, this protocol ensures that data shared is sent to your site’s server and is encrypted, making it impossible for it to be intercepted for malicious purposes.

Thanks to initiatives from tech giants like Google in recent years, more than half of the web is now encrypted and secure via the HTTPS protocol. An SSL certificate ensures secure transmission of information between the server, the user, and your website. Additionally, an SSL certificate shows users that your site is secure, making it safe to use.

Strengthen your passwords

While using a memorable password is easier, it’s less secure. To counter the risk, it’s often recommended to change your password frequently. However, the danger here is that people may choose weaker passwords to make them easier to remember. A stronger password is undoubtedly more effective. To help manage all your passwords, tools like 1Password exist. This software acts as a password manager, allowing you to generate and store passwords securely, as well as notes and documents.

Implement user management

Set up a complete user management system, with defined roles and permissions. You can create user accounts that have limited management rights to specific content. These roles are defined on the platform by an administrator, allowing modifications, creations, and definitions of new roles.

Take precautions when uploading files

Uploading files, whether for submitting resumes, portfolios, or other documents, can sometimes be risky. While antivirus software offers an extra layer of protection, your first line of defense is your own judgment and ability to detect risks. If your business can do without attachments in a form, why include such a function? This reduces the risk of introducing malware.

Optimize performance and stability

We recommend integrating various optimization solutions into your website to ensure a seamless experience for visitors. These measures also protect your site from potential attacks. These steps are more technical and may require the help of a web specialist.

CloudFlare

CloudFlare is a company that provides security and performance services. One of the services offered is content replication via a proxy mode to reduce the load on the hosting server and protect it during traffic spikes. CloudFlare also offers load balancing services, which may be useful as your daily traffic increases.

WP-Rocket

This is a plugin for WordPress used to cache dynamic content. It reduces the load on the server by avoiding database queries and redundant data processing. It keeps a “pre-processed” copy that expires after a configurable time or can be automatically purged when content is updated. WP-Rocket offers a clear improvement in performance and is widely recognized as the best caching plugin by the community.

iTheme Security Pro

Since a large-scale website can undoubtedly be the target of malicious actors, it’s important to protect it properly. We recommend installing the iTheme Security Pro plugin. It offers a wide range of features that quickly and easily tighten the security of the WordPress CMS. These include blocking IP addresses after repeated login attempts, enforcing complex passwords, and detecting malware.

Choose your hosting provider carefully

To meet performance and security requirements, Kryzalid uses the services of Syspark, our Montreal-based partner specializing in high-speed cloud infrastructure. This is a trusted partner with whom we’ve collaborated on large-scale projects. Syspark will handle updates and ensure the security of your website, giving you peace of mind.

Need help securing your website? Contact our team now to discuss it. We’ll guide you through the best practices to implement for your site. A personalized analysis will provide you with all the tools necessary to protect your data.


Sources

https://isarta.com/infos/5-conseils-pour-rendre-son-site-web-plus-securitaire/

https://www.hostgator.com/blog/3-easy-steps-that-protect-your-website-from-hackers/

https://www.wikihow.com/Secure-Your-Website

https://www.cloudflare.com/

https://wp-rocket.me/

https://ithemes.com/security/