Cybersecurity 101: How to Protect Your Website from Potential Threats

As more of the world’s business moves online, it’s increasingly important to secure your website so you can shield your proprietary data, business operations, and brand reputation from potential threats. That means your web maintenance strategy should include cybersecurity tactics that are continuously evaluated and updated to ensure you keep pace with the changing digital landscape and stay ahead of bad actors in it.

As a go-to digital services provider for web hosting and routine maintenance, DevOps management, and 24/7 support, our crew follows battle-tested cybersecurity practices that protect our clients’ sites and our own. In this article, we’ll teach you the web security basics we abide by – our “Cybersecurity 101” – to help you establish your own safety protocols and maintain a secure online presence.

Cybersecurity 101 – Basic Tactics to Secure Your Website:

1. Keeping core software, plugins, and modules up to date
2. Utilizing a security plugin or module
3. Implementing a web application firewall (WAF)
4. Managing edge network security
5. Practicing account access hygiene 
6. Preparing for AI crawler interactions
7. Having a reliable support partner
8. Creating a response plan and having a “911” option
9. Establishing a security policy (and ensuring providers have one, too)
10. Auditing your DNS records and securing spoofable domains

1. Keeping Core Software, Plugins, and Modules Up to Date

A simple, effective way to prevent cyberattacks is to update your website’s core software, plugins, and modules on a regular basis – meaning every time you’re prompted to do so! Cybercriminals often exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated software. Stay on top of scheduled updates to close security gaps.

Many content management systems (CMS), such as WordPress, Drupal, and Shopify offer automated updates; enabling these features can make your security maintenance turnkey.

2. Utilizing a Security Plugin or Module

A dedicated security plugin or module provides extra protection for your website, featuring tools like malware scanning, customized user-agent lock outs for probing attempts, real-time monitoring, and login protection. Popular security plugins like Wordfence (for WordPress) and Sucuri help you detect and mitigate threats before they cause damage.

3. Implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is essential for filtering and blocking malicious traffic before it reaches your site. A WAF helps prevent SQL injection attacks, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS), cross-site scripting (XSS), and other common cyber threats. Services like Cloudflare and Sucuri provide cloud-based WAF solutions that can be easily integrated with your website.

4. Managing Edge Network Security

Edge network security focuses on protecting data at the perimeter of your website’s infrastructure. This includes using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to distribute traffic and reduce the risk of DDoS attacks. Many CDNs, such as Cloudflare and Akamai, offer built-in security features that help detect and mitigate threats before they reach your website.

5. Practicing Account Access Hygiene

Ensuring proper account access hygiene is crucial to preventing unauthorized access to your website. Best practices include:

• Enforcing strong, unique passwords for all user accounts.
• Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for an extra layer of security.
• Limiting administrative access to only essential personnel.
• Regularly auditing and revoking unused or expired accounts.

Using an authorized security provider (e.g., Okta, OneLogin) for account access management can help streamline these practices and ensure compliance with security standards.

6. Preparing for AI Crawler Interactions

Artificial Intelligence (AI) crawlers are becoming more prevalent, and not all of them have good intentions. Some AI-driven bots scrape content, test for vulnerabilities, or attempt brute-force attacks. To mitigate risks:

• Use robots.txt to manage which bots can access your site.
• Monitor unusual bot activity in your website logs.
• Implement rate limiting to prevent excessive automated requests.
• Use your security plugin to custom block user agents who are trying to access your site or certain countries that will not be a legitimate source of traffic.
• Use bot management tools provided by security services like Cloudflare or Imperva.

7. Having a Reliable Support Partner

No website manager should have to face cybersecurity challenges alone. Partnering with a reliable support provider – whether an in-house team or a third-party security service –

 ensures that your website has access to expert help when needed. Many security firms offer monitoring and incident response services, which can be invaluable in preventing and mitigating attacks.

8. Creating a Response Plan and a “911” Option

Even with strong defenses in place, incidents can still occur. Having a clear response plan ensures that your team knows how to react in case of a breach. Your plan should include:

• Defined roles and responsibilities for handling security incidents.
• A checklist of steps to contain and assess damage.
• A communication plan for notifying stakeholders and customers.
• A “911 option,” such as an emergency response service or a dedicated security firm that can assist with crisis management.
• A planned retrospective after the security event to ensure steps are taken to prevent similar events from taking place.

9. Establishing a Security Policy (and Ensuring Providers Have One, Too)

A formal security policy provides a framework for maintaining best practices and ensuring consistency across your organization. It should outline guidelines for:

• User access management and password policies
• Software update schedules
• Incident response protocols
• Data protection and encryption measures

Additionally, if you work with third-party providers (e.g., hosting companies, payment processors, or marketing platforms), ensure that they also adhere to strict security policies.

10. Auditing Your DNS Records and Securing Spoofable Domains

Auditing DNS and securing spoofable domains is critical for maintaining cybersecurity and preventing malicious attacks such as phishing, DNS spoofing, and man-in-the-middle attacks. 

Regular DNS audits can help identify misconfigurations, outdated records, and vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit to impersonate legitimate domains. Unsecured or misconfigured domains could be spoofed. This allows cybercriminals to redirect users to fraudulent websites, steal sensitive information, disrupt business operations, and damage your organization’s reputation. 

Implementing DNS security measures such as DNSSEC, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps authenticate domain communications and prevent unauthorized use. 
Securing spoofable domains that have misspellings – that at a glance could be mistaken for your domain – is also an important way to avoid online scams, while protecting yourself and your customers.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity is a continuous process that requires planning, proactivity, and vigilance. To sum up this course in “Cybersecurity 101”:

• Keep your software and its extensions up to date. 
• Leverage security tools like firewalls and plugins to control who accesses your site.
• Manage internal user access and revoke privileges for those who don’t need them.
• Have an emergency response plan ready to implement. 
• Ensure everyone who touches your website follows security best practices. 
• Have a plan for the three parts of your website: network security, application security, and operational security.

These are the lessons we’ve learned – and anyone can apply – to reduce the risk of online threats. 

Need help with cybersecurity for your website?

Our crew is here to provide the guidance you seek. Complete the form below so we can schedule time to connect directly, explore your needs, and discuss how we can help!