Web security is one of the most important elements if you want to provide a reliable and safe digital experience for your customers.

There are many news reports circulating about cyber attacks suffered by companies on their websites.

Every website is exposed to these types of attacks, but they can be prevented thanks to a series of strategies and tools that can be implemented in the creation and management of websites.

That is why in this blog we will talk a little about web security and all the short and long term benefits that its implementation can offer you.

What is web security?

These are all the measures implemented, both in the creation and administration of a website or virtual store, that help you protect both your information and that of your customers.

When you offer a good browsing experience on your website and guarantee the security of your customers, you will gain brand reputation and great recognition in the sector.

It is very important to invest in web security techniques, since the slightest failure or vulnerability that your website experiences can cause great losses of sales and trust.

What are the most common cyber attacks on the Internet?

Every day, famous cyber hackers create new ways to hack websites and extract the information present there.

However, there are some widely used techniques which we will explain below:

DDoS attacks

These attacks aim to disable the website by exhausting server resources.

This causes the website to become extremely slow, not perform the requested actions, and even stop working.

Malware

These are intrusive software that are responsible for deleting, modifying and copying data from your website. There are a wide variety of malware that can be introduced into your website, including viruses, Trojans or IT worms.

Blacklist

These are actions implemented on your website that are responsible for harming your organic positioning in search engines, to the point that they can make your website disappear from them.

What web security strategies can be implemented?

Below, we will give you some actions you can implement on your website to make it safe and reliable to navigate.

Keep your CMS updated with the latest version

The first web security tip we will give you is to keep your CSM updated with the latest version available.

A Content Management System is a tool that allows you to simplify the task of creating and managing a website.

There are a wide variety of CMS available on the market to create your website or virtual store. At Gulupa Digital we work with and recommend WordPress as a CMS for your website.

If you want to know why to use WordPress for your website, we invite you to read our blog by clicking Click here.

Regardless of the CMS you use, you should always keep it updated with the latest available version, since these updates, in addition to improving the tool, correct existing security flaws.

This ensures that unauthorized access to your website is much more difficult for hackers and keeps your information safe.

If your website was designed by a website design agency, it is their job to keep updates up to date.

If, on the other hand, you created your website yourself, you should keep an eye on any updates that come out.

Also, keep your website plugins up to date.

Just as you should keep your CMS up to date, all the plugins you use on your website should be up to date with updates to ensure proper web security.

These updates serve the same purpose: to improve the tool and fix security flaws present in the plugin.

A single outdated plugin can become an open window for hackers to enter and wreak havoc on your website.

As with CMS updates, it is the responsibility of the agency that built your website to keep plugins up to date.

Implement an SSL security certificate

You've probably come across a padlock icon next to the web address while browsing the Internet. That's the famous SSL certificate.

The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) helps protect the exchange of information between your client's browser and the server hosting your website.

This makes it very difficult for hackers to capture this information.

From the perspective of your client, having an SSL certificate gives them enough confidence to access your website; and from the perspective of Google, it makes your website trustworthy and helps in its organic positioning.

SSL certificates are included by hosting providers in their hosting plans, so if it is a reputable company, you can rest assured that your website will have this certificate.

Do not log in from a computer infected with a virus

Any virus that a computer may have can affect your website if you access it from it.

It is very important that your computer does not have viruses, therefore, you should perform periodic maintenance, have an antivirus activated and updated, avoid downloading content except when strictly necessary, do not visit websites of dubious origin and never open emails from unknown recipients.

Set user roles

Another web security tip to protect your website is to set specific roles for each user who logs into your website admin.

Not everyone should be able to access all the information on the website; it is best to limit this access to only people you trust or who know how to fully use the tool.

WordPress allows you to set up different roles for users with different permissions, for example, an editor role that only allows them to edit information.

Use strong passwords

It may seem obvious, but there are still people who use very weak passwords that are easy to discover.

To create a strong password, it is recommended that it be more than 6 characters long, include the use of capital letters, numbers, and special symbols.

Finally, avoid using the same password for everything, so that if someone discovers your password, they can only access that profile and not any of your other accounts.

Create backups of your website

More than just a web security measure, it's a backup you have in case your website suffers a cyber attack.

Having a backup allows you to recover the information that your website had up to that moment and prevent it from being a total loss.

In conclusion

It is really important to have web security measures in place if you want to protect your website from cyber attacks and ensure your users have a good browsing experience.

These tips are simple practices to implement and will help you keep all of your company's and your clients' information safe.