No one wants to wake up and see that their website has been replaced with a screen that says “HACKED” and yet it is becoming more and more common. Perhaps you heard about New York Times and other major sites getting hacked recently. When this happens, there are a lot of questions people ask; today's post will cover the top 5 questions people ask about website security.
1. How many websites get hacked each week?
One 17 year old hacker admitted to hacking 50,000 websites in one week. That was in 2009. The numbers of hackers and their abilities to hack into websites have been increasing. Perhaps you thought with the millions of websites odds were in your favor of not getting hacked. The hackers are increasing the odds in their favor so that it is simply a matter of time before any particular website gets hacked.
2. Hackers just hack for money, why would they want my website?
Yes, they may hack a website because of something the bloggers discussed. Yes, they may want information about some of the site users. Yes, they may try to steal financial and other information.
But these reasons are actually very small reasons websites get hacked. The major reason websites are hacked is because the hacker can. The hacker simply looked for websites with a particular weakness and exploited it. Or simply picked a website and decided to hack it, no matter what it takes.
3. Is there a system that has ultimate website security?
If you are looking for a website that you can set up and it be safe by itself, then no. WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, HTML all these formats and many more are targets for hackers. Just like web designers have their favorite formats that they study and work with, so do hackers.
4. Can I secure my own website?
Yes, you can secure your own website. How long it will take you will depend on your technical skills. There are a number of guides online that can tell you various ways to secure your website.
Remember each situation is different. Your business, you, your website, plugins and server make a unique combination. Hiring a professional who does customized security has worked with a variety of situations and this can make it worthwhile.
5. Does my password really matter that much?
If you hate changing your password, you aren't alone. Even professionals dislike changing their password regularly. The longer your password is in use, the more likely it is someone can break it. This can be because of keyloggers, using the wrong password, or other issues.
Another problem with some older passwords may not be as secure. If you used a word or name found easily in the dictionary then chances are real good a simple password program can break it. Adding a number or random character won't help much. A password with eight random or seemingly random characters can slow a hacker's ability to quickly break into your website.
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These are just a few of the questions that people ask about website security. Just like your house can have multiple levels of security, so can your website. If you want a single step security measure, hire a website security expert. Website security experts can add elements that suit your business and your website needs. The most important thing is to get your website secured, soon.
After designing and securing websites for multi-million dollar companies, MJ Schrader founded Media Guard Group. Helping business owners have a site that looks like a million dollars while being easy enough for them to maintain. Each site is designed with layers of design, branding and security.
