Overview
When surfing through the net and checking into the website, the first and foremost question is always the same, ‘Is the website secure?’. With the number of breaches increasing, reports show lots of data exposure, malware attack, etc. People understood the importance of security and the significant role it plays to protect digital assets. Though website owners must provide a secure connection, security is everyone’s responsibility. So, to safeguard your digital assets, you need to know the factors that make the website safe.
Now, let’s get started on How to check if a website is safe by the following signs.
- Check for HTTPS in the website
No matter how familiar or popular, the eCommerce store is, it is essential for the website’s URL to have HTTPS instead of HTTP. The ‘S’ in the https indicates the security of the website. A Website’s URL starts with HTTPS when an SSL certificate is installed. This helps to secure the communication between the client and the server. It provides end to end encryption to all the sensitive information on the website.
With a wide variety of SSL providers available on the web, there are lots of options for website owners. In case if you have multiple subdomains, the best option is to implement a wildcard SSL certificate to secure your website as there are also available cheap SSL wildcard certificates if you have multiple subdomains to be protected under a single SSL security solution at budget price. It is highly recommended for website owners to install an SSL certificate for data security. The primary step on checking a Website’s safety is by looking out for the URL, which must have an HTTPS connection along with a padlock.
- Verify the Trust badges on website
The purpose of a trust seal on a website is to make sure the customer’s data is secure. Mostly, an eCommerce store will have trust seals to indicate secure online payment, etc. It is partnered with third-party security partners to offer protection. Generally, it shows the site is secure with HTTPS connection, including various other security measures. Though customers expect these kinds of seals on the website, it is necessary to verify the trust badge. To verify the trust badges, all you need is to click the badge, which redirects you to the verification page. This shows that the website has partnered with the particular security firm. So, it is always better to check out the trust seals on the site.
- Check the website’s Contact Information
If you want to check whether the site is legit. You can look at the website’s contact details. It seems in a recent survey; most people tend to check the website’s contact information for safety purposes. It is believed that a safe website will display all the necessary contact information like email address, phone number, address, and social media accounts. Adding contact information doesn’t offer any security but provides a sense of trust with the customer. Since there is someone to reach out in case of any guidance. So, it is highly recommended to check the website’s contact information to ensure whether the site is safe or not.
- Beware of signs showing the website is unsafe
Sometimes the site with an SSL certificate, contact information, etc. might still look spammy. Even if there is a slight inkling towards the website’s safety, it is necessary always to check. So, always have a lookout for some visible sign of malware-infected website.
Pop-ups: If you are on a website with tons of pop-ups, it is highly suspicious. These pop-ups usually claim to get services or products for free but wait for you to click the link shown in the pop up leading to download malware.
Malicious redirects: When you get redirected to another URL instead of the website you want to check out. This shows the signs of malicious redirects which can only mean the website is not legit.
Defacements: One of the biggest cybersecurity challenges for website owners. Here, the hackers change the index page of the website or replace the content of the website.
Malvertising: Nowadays, most of the website has ads on it. If the ad content is irrelevant to your browsing history or the ad itself is an unprofessional with malicious code, then it could be malicious ads. So, beware of clicking ads on the website as the malicious code can enter your system and scan the system and its loopholes.
Phishing: One of the common cyber threats is a phishing attack. Here, the cybercriminals create a website imitating the commonly visited websites like banking websites, eCommerce websites, etc. By using this, personal and financial information can easily be stolen. So, it is necessary always to check whether the site is legitimate as the imitated website includes spelling and grammatical errors.
SEO spam: SEO spamming is like when a hacker inserted into your server by taking advantage of system loopholes and add their own hyperlinks and spam keywords in your SEO accomplishments. Hacker then use your site to advertise their service or product.
Search engine warnings: While browsing, your browser may warn you on certain websites after scanning. This shows how the site is unsafe and can be easily avoided.
- Look for the website privacy policy
Always check for the website’s privacy policy, since any legitimate website must have a privacy policy which is even law in some countries like Australia, Canada, etc. Generally, a Website’s privacy policy involves how the customer’s data is stored, used and secured on the website. To check the website’s safety, find the privacy policy on the site and then share your information with the website.
Conclusion
As you can see, it only takes a couple of minutes to check whether the website is safe or not. Apart from this, there are also tools to check website security. Learning the signs to check the website’s safety can help you in the long run on how to protect your personal information and browse through the net safely in a secure connection.