Just as we need to take all the necessary precautions with the physical space of companies, such as installing security cameras and monitoring alarms in a store, for example, the same needs to be done in virtual media, to avoid having websites vulnerable to cyber attacks. malicious people.
Hacker attacks on company websites can cause irreparable losses and damage, such as the page going offline and customers being unable to communicate with the business. This becomes even more serious in the case of e-commerce.
When making purchases in online stores, customers register information such as their credit card numbers in the system. Therefore, if the website is hacked, malicious people can have access to this data and harm your customers.
It was based on this reality that we developed this post, which will clarify your doubts about vulnerable websites and show you how to protect them. Check it out below!
How do you know if a website is vulnerable?
Several characteristics can indicate that a website is vulnerable. You need to be aware of each of them and check if there is this type of occurrence on your company’s pages. If so, it is recommended that you take the appropriate measures to reverse the situation.
Next, we will present some of the main vulnerabilities that can cause damage to company websites:
Uploading malicious code
Hackers can upload malicious scripts that alter files in your website’s database. These codes also allow spam to be sent with your company name.
These codes are inserted into the website using forms without access authentication. Therefore, it is necessary to always protect the upload areas of the website with a password.
If you use third-party software on your website, usually CMSs, such as WordPress or Joomla, they must always be updated. In this update, the site’s plug-ins must be updated, as they can also be a gateway for attackers if they are outdated.
Mail Form Injection
In this case, the hacker inserts SMTP-type commands into the websites’ contact forms. From this, he can send spam messages to people who are trying to contact your company through this channel.
To prevent this from happening, you need to avoid sending emails to message recipients on your website. To do this, scripts such as “CC”, “Cc”, “BCC”, “Bcc” and “bcc” must be filtered.
Invasion via FTP
Programmers or company employees who access the website via FTP to add content, for example, always need to have good antivirus software installed on their computers.
This is recommended because malicious programs installed on these computers can capture information such as the login and password for FTP access. Thus, later, this data can be used to publish scripts, send spam, and spread viruses. It is also possible for hackers to host fake websites with you.
Another preventive way to prevent this from happening is to never access the website via FTP on public computers. Only use a company-exclusive machine for this purpose.
What is PHP and SQL injection?
Even Google has been hacked through PHP and SQL injection. That’s why this topic deserves special attention in this article. After all, if even the biggest technology giant suffered this type of attack, the same could happen to smaller companies.
SQL injection is the set of failures that occur in the coding of applications that, through inputs, enable the manipulation of a query of this type.
In general, we can say that PHP and SQL injection are techniques in which hackers can manipulate PHP and SQL codes, languages used to exchange information between applications and databases on company websites.
Through these strategies, hackers can manipulate your website and steal important information that may even be confidential and cannot be leaked to the general public. Furthermore, depending on the version of your database, hackers may even be able to gain full permission to access the machine where your health database is hosted.
It is necessary to carry out tests and adopt protective measures to prevent your website from being invaded using techniques such as PHP and SQL injection.
How to protect yourself from hacker attacks?
So that you know how to protect your website from hacker attacks, we have listed a series of tips that can be put into practice in your company. Check out:
- frequently change your website’s control panel and FTP passwords;
- scan with antivirus and networks, in general, that have access to your FTP;
- keep vulnerable scripts that you identify on your site inactive;
- if you have suffered an invasion, remove the files from your database and then restore them using backups made before the invasion;
- Instruct your team not to access websites via FTP on computers other than those for exclusive use for work;
- carry out constant testing and monitoring to prevent your website from being hacked;
- limit the site’s FTP to fixed IPs.
What are good practices for protecting a website?
To help you better protect your website, we’ve put together some tips on good security practices. Check out!
Create strong passwords
Many people believe that by creating an easy-to-remember password or repeating it every time they log in, they will save time. However, the truth is that these savings can be costly. It is very important to use complex passwords, with uppercase or lowercase characters, special characters, and numbers. Furthermore, it is important to change these passwords frequently to gain another layer of security.
Use two-factor authentication
One of the security tools that has been gaining popularity in recent years is two-factor authentication. This process consists of a login confirmation after entering the password, which can be done by sending a code via SMS, application notification, email, etc.
Focus on updating
Hackers are constantly looking for loopholes to invade systems and servers, and newly updated software is among their favorite targets. This is because the update is not just about adding new features, but often seeks to fix security vulnerabilities.
Hackers try to invade systems that are still outdated using brute force techniques to act on these weaknesses. That’s why it’s so important to update applications as quickly as possible.
Establish an access control policy
If it is difficult for one person to maintain all good security practices, imagine when there is a team managing a website. To maintain team control, the leader must create policies that standardize some security parameters.
Not everyone needs to access the entire system, so it is important to define how far each person can go according to the needs of their role. The more restricted access is, the lower the chances of major damage to the system. A professional who takes care of design has different priorities than someone who works with content, for example.
Invest in network protection
In addition to protecting accounts, the network must be also secure, preferably using an intrusion prevention system. These systems identify and block threats that reach the network. If the system identifies a virus or malware, it stops working. In this scenario, even professionals who try to access a restricted part of the network may have their accounts restricted.
Count on a firewall
Another important practice for protecting a website is installing a firewall, in addition to customizing the rules on how this tool will protect the system. We are talking about a security tool that has been used for over 25 years and evolves according to new tools.
However, do you know how a firewall works? In short, we can say that it is a solution that helps monitor network inputs and outputs, having the prerogative to block or allow specific traffic, and obeying the security rules defined by the company.
Apply SSL data encryption
The SSL certificate is a security tool that serves to guarantee the encryption of the information that circulates between the browser and the server. A few years ago, websites used the HTTP protocol, which was very important for the development of the internet, but has become fragile by current standards.
Without encryption, data would be vulnerable and could be intercepted by cybercriminals. HTTPS is the evolution of HTTP that uses SSL or TLS technology, which protects information. Now, the data is only decrypted at both ends, that is, on the computer that makes the request and on the server. If it is intercepted, it cannot be deciphered. The SSL certificate is free and easy to obtain. To identify whether a website has its SSL certificate up to date, check the green padlock next to the URL.
Make backups regularly
Another very important security practice on all fronts of information technology is backups. Not having a backup of your data is playing with luck. This is because no matter how protected your system is, it could be attacked or suffer a breakdown. In many cases, the only way to guarantee the recovery of your data and, consequently, your website, is through backup.
The frequency must be proportional to the data production on the site. It is this periodicity that will define the amount of data that the company is willing to lose in the event of a disaster. The objective should be to reduce this loss as much as possible, that is, if the site has daily data creation, the backup should be done more frequently.
What are the main types of attacks?
The challenges for professionals who work with information security are increasingly greater due to the diversity of attacks that criminals can attempt. Below are some examples that you should be concerned with.
DDoS attacks
A DDoS attack consists of crashing a server through multiple requests. Criminals use bots to make multiple accesses to a website or application, to max out the maximum traffic capacity. A website that works with sales, for example, if it suffers a DDoS attack on an important date, such as Black Friday, could suffer a huge loss.
Ransomware Attack
The ransomware attack consists of data hijacking through encryption or blocking. In this attack, the criminal’s objective is to receive a ransom for the release of this information. It is a widely used attack method against business and government systems, but it can be used to hijack data from a website as well.
Disfigurement
This is an attack that destroys the website, damages credibility, and generates punishment from search engines. The attack consists of replacing all content with malicious content prepared by the hacker. There are cases in which the criminal uses the website as bait to carry out Phishing attacks invade computers and carry out other attacks.
Now you understand a little more about vulnerable websites, the reasons why they have these characteristics, the main types of attacks that can occur, and how to protect yourself from them. Therefore, start putting this knowledge into practice as soon as possible to avoid fraud in your business!
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