Keeping Your Website Safe and Your Mind at Ease

Keeping your website safe

Written by

Kathryn Lang
on

May 14, 2021

Last Updated on May 14, 2021

How Safe is Your Website? Would you like to get some peace of mind about your website security?

If you’ve turned on the news lately, you may have heard about potential attacks on infostructure, or attacks on membership information with your platform, or attempts to steal identities, or . . . the list goes on. It’s scary to consider the big attacks, but are you considering what would happen if you were targeted? The results from a little attack, an attack against your website alone, can cause you as much (if not more) damage as the big attacks.

Make sure your website is safe.

What Happens When Websites Aren’t Protected

She spent almost a decade building up her website and attracting a following. As the anniversary of her first post rolled around, she tried to access her site. She checked her password and tried again. One more time, this time keying in each character with a second look at the password on her cheat sheet, she tried again. 

Now she was locked out. Panic welled up in her. Without access to her site, her entire plan would crumble. 

Reaching out to her host company gave answers but no comfort. Someone had hacked her site and planted malicious code. “The real issue is that when we delete the code in one place, it replicates in another.”

It didn’t help to envision the Replicators from Star Gate, but that’s where her mind went. Apparently, malicious code can be just as damaging as replicating alien metal beings.

“The only thing we can do now is rebuild your website, and we will have to either do it from scratch or find an old backup that doesn’t contain any of the code.”

She spent the next three days crying and then realized that no amount of crying would fix it. It cost weeks of personal investment and more than a few dollars of financial investment, but her website was back up and running with time left to celebrate her blog’s tenth anniversary.

Get the bonus content: A Guide to WordPress Security

How You Can Keep Watch on Your Website

1. Diligence – be diligent in maintaining your website.

  • You have to have scans run regularly to watch out for malicious attacks or invasion.
  • You need to run wellness checkups to see if any bugs are dragging your website health down.
  • You need to have resources to contact when you hit a bump, a wall, or have to fend off a full-throttle invasion of replicators.

2. Awareness – be aware of what’s going on with your website.

  • You need to check your website regularly – not just your admin page, but the actual website.
  • You need to review your links, so you know the links you share are going where you want them to go.
  • You need to examine the images on your website, so you know they aren’t hiding things you don’t want shared.

3. Persist Consistency – be persistent and consistent in checking your website.

  • You need to be actively aware of how your website is running (even if you hire a management company).
  • You need to check your information consistently – and the closer together your checks, the better.
  • You need to be persistent in follow-up. Don’t let it go just because it seems like a small issue (remember the replicators)

Nothing crushes the heart of a website owner as much as finding their creation shattered in bits all over the internet. Be actively invested in the health and security of your website because nobody cares more about your website than you.

Hackers are always looking for ways to take advantage of your website – either to exploit what is there or to use your site for other malicious activities. Only you can prevent website attacks (or forest fires, but that’s another post for another day). Be actively invested in the health and security of your website because nobody cares more about your website than you.

Habits for Keeping Your Website Safe

  • Get solid security – invest in plugins and support that will back up their security claims.
  • Take little steps to provide protection (passwords, user names) – those little steps can add up to big security barriers. 
  • Be alert (don’t wait for someone else to tell you there’s a problem) – the more you know for yourself, the better you can protect yourself.
  • Don’t panic (which may require turning off the news now and then) – when the bad news shows up, and it will, be calm and take the necessary action to keep your website safe.

You can’t protect yourself from all attacks because a determined hacker will find a way. You can implement steps that will mitigate any issues that come from an attack and also step up barriers that make your website more difficult to crack.

The world continues to throw up warnings about how vulnerable your website and online information are to hackers who are determined to do bad things to you and your business. Heed the warnings. Implement systems to shore up your safety. Find more ways to be certain that your website is safe.

Build the Resources for Better Growth

WPproser logo

Join the WPprosper community, where we are helping each other find our unique ways to harness our passions and purpose.

When you join the community, you are the first to hear the tips, ideas, and upcoming opportunities being stirred up at WPprosper.

Sign up here to join WPprosper!

Keeping your website safe

Keep reading the article at WordPress News and Updates from iThemes – iThemes. The article was originally written by Kathryn Lang on 2021-05-14 15:27:53.

The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the product, We may receive an affiliate commission.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Show Your ❤️ Love! Like Us
Scroll to Top