Prepare
Your first step is to make sure your online assets are readily recoverable in the event of a breach . This includes making a complete backup of your site and any underlying data files . New backups should be made regularly and after any significant content update and thoroughly tested to ensure the site can be rapidly restored if needed . Keeping multiple backups dating back several months provides a hedge against malicious “ sleeper ” malware , a destructive code on a computer drive waiting to be triggered and infect current files .
Secure
There are several opportunities for hackers to find a foothold . One of these is software versions . If WordPress or any associated plug-in that powers your site becomes outdated — and these updates happen continuously — it opens a way in . Secure server certification and a reputable firewall are also important . Wordfence and Sucuri are two popular firewalls for WordPress sites . Finally , access to site files should be limited and tracked , with a password update protocol .
on the site ’ s uptime ( the time the site is functioning ), security status and any issues since last checkup . The advantages of using an outside resource tend to include proactive attention , accountability and ready access to development resources if a fix is needed , especially if there are other updates on your to-do list , such as Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility , mobile performance or search engine optimization that might be bundled in for better value .
As a small-business owner , I know it ’ s discouraging to invest in a shiny new website only to find that you ’ re now on the hook for ongoing maintenance . But like the maintenance we devote to buildings and vehicles , it ’ s far less costly to invest in maintenance than to recover from a major technical failure . Telling a web client who opted out of such support that their site is now unrecoverable and must be rebuilt from scratch is awful . Telling them that their site sustained several hundred hacking attempts which were blocked in a matter of seconds is much more rewarding .
Make the Impossible
Alert
Installing a remote monitoring and notification solution , such as Pingdom , gives you immediate notice if a site goes offline for any reason so you can investigate , recover from backup if needed and carry on without major disruption .
Depending on the scale and features of your website , these security measures need not be a major investment . Most in-house IT staff can carry them out with communication and economic benefits . Another option is to engage a web development firm to oversee the measures on a defined schedule . For most of the sites we maintain , these activities take 1-3 hours per month , including quarterly reports
Lila Wallrich is creative director and CEO of Wallrich Creative Communications , a full-service agency in Sacramento providing branding , marketing , advertising , and interactive services to local and national clients since 1990 .
How do you protect your company from hacking threats ?
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