As a business owner, you likely rely on your website to generate and convert leads into paying customers. Most of your new clients may have even found and learned about your business by finding its site online.
So, with your site being such a crucial marketing tool, you must ensure it has adequate external website security. Otherwise, it could be the next victim of a hacking attack, which, according to a study, occurs every 39 seconds.
One possible reason behind that prevalence is the widespread misinformation surrounding website security. For example, many mistakenly believe that hackers only target the sites of large businesses. Others think it’s okay and safe to run outdated website software.
Those are all myths that everyone should stop believing now.
This guide explains such misbeliefs (and how dangerous they are) in more detail, so read on.
1. SMBs Don’t Need External Website Security
Stop believing this myth because SBMs are prime targets of cyber attacks. Indeed, a 2023 CBS News article stated that in 2022, 73% of small businesses had a cybersecurity incident. Of these victims, over 40% reported losing revenue.
Your small business website can become part of those statistics without adequate security.
Suppose you don’t require multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your site since you don’t think hackers will target it. Unfortunately, one of your users fell victim to phishing, a social engineering tactic. This led to the malicious actor getting the user’s login credentials.
Without MFA, the hacker can easily access their victim’s account on your website. The criminal can then steal the hacked user’s information for personal gain. They could also inject malware onto your site, compromising all its other users.
2. Penetration Testing for Web Security Is Too Expensive
One of the first steps to strengthening external website security is risk identification. If you know what threatens your website, you can develop specific measures against them.
Penetration testing is among the most commonly used strategies for risk identification. It involves ethical hacking and simulating attacks against websites, networks, and IT systems. Its goal is to reveal as many vulnerabilities as possible and correct them before an actual cybercrime attack occurs.
Because it’s a complex and lengthy procedure, many SMBs automatically assume they can’t afford it. While it’s not cheap, it doesn’t mean it’s unaffordable.
So, how much does a pentest cost, then? It depends on factors like project scope and size, but it can start from as low as $5,000. However, for companies with colossal data and infrastructures, it can go to $100,000 or over.
3. Strong Passwords Are Enough
No matter how strong a password is, it’ll do little to no good if its owner doesn’t practice Internet security. For example, they may be sharing their passwords with others or using the same one on many accounts. Their passwords may also seem “strong” based on password requirements, but in reality, they are easy to guess.
Let’s say that John Smith, whose birthday is November 18, 1987, has a password that looks like this:
J0hnSm1th18111987!
That satisfies many of today’s website password creation requirements, including:
- Using at least eight alphanumeric characters
- Having at least one lower-case and one upper-case letter
- Adding at least one symbol
However, just because the password meets the basic requirements doesn’t mean it’s safe. That’s because John’s name and birthday are on it, which are no-nos in secure password creation. Hackers can crack that by looking at his social media accounts to check for his birthday.
So, to enhance your site’s password protocols, use a secure password generator/manager. Choose one with advanced settings like name, birthday, and pattern restrictions.
4. HTTPS Alone Makes a Website Secure
Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) is more secure than HTTP. After all, HTTPS provides client-end and website encryption. It protects data in transit, making it critical to external website security.
However, just because a URL has HTTPS doesn’t mean the website is safe. It can be malicious; for instance, previous reports found that many phishing sites use SSL.
That indicates how HTTPS alone isn’t a good indicator of website security. For the same reason, you must not rely on it alone. Instead, you should also install a web application firewall (WAF).
A WAF is a web program that filters and monitors HTTP traffic between web apps and the Internet. It can protect against threats like cross-site forgery, SQL injection, and file inclusion.
You can think of a WAF as a shield between your website and the Internet (and its users). So, whenever someone requests access to your site, the WAF will screen it for malicious activity first. If the request is suspicious, the WAF may then reject the request.
5. It’s Fine to Delay Installing Security Patches
A perfect proof that this isn’t the case is the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017. According to experts, it resulted in a recovery cost amounting to $4 billion.
The ransomware, which targeted a vulnerability in the Windows OS, was preventable. Microsoft released a security patch to protect against it nearly two months before the attack.
Security patches are files intended to fix a software’s vulnerability to malware and hacking. Unfortunately, many Windows OS users delayed downloading and installing the patch. As a result, many fell victim to the ransomware attack.
That’s why you should never delay updating software programs, including the apps and extensions you use for your site. If there’s an option to install them automatically, take advantage of this feature. If not, install the updates as soon as they become available.
By ensuring your software programs are up-to-date, you can minimize security vulnerabilities.
Stop Believing These Website Security Myths
If you think SMBs don’t need external website security or that a pen test is too expensive to be worth it, think again. Likewise, you should stop believing that strong passwords or using HTTPS is enough. Neither should you think all will be well if you delay security updates.
Those are all myths that can lead to disastrous cybersecurity consequences. So, scrap these false beliefs and invest in better website security instead.
For more guides and tips on tech and digital safety, browse our other recent posts!