With more than a billion websites being run all around the world. There is always risk for hacks and someone trying to exploit data. It’s important to stay on top of things. Simple things like regular site updates and patches can go a long ways towards staying secure. Here are some simple things to always think in and staying one step ahead of the hackers.
Website security
Keep everything up to date. If you’re running an CMS make sure you run regular updates and apply any patches if needed. This includes plugins or extensions as well. Third party plugins, can be unsafe especially if they were poorly designed. Another thing that’s important, is to use HTTPS, especially if you run a webstore.
Many sites fall victim to SQL injections, so you want to use parameterized queries. If you leave parameters or fields open, someone could pray and insert code which then can be used to hack your database. Be careful with your error messages and how much information you give away. Provide only minimal errors to your users, to ensure they don’t leak secrets present on the server.
Passwords should always be complex and guarded safely. As well rotated if you have the chance to rotate them every few months. Passwords can be stored as encrypted values as well. Also try not to use same passwords for everything, for example if you have a control panel and admin site access to the CMS for example, keep them different.
Finally watch out for any misconfigurations and use some tools to test your site’s security as well. There are a number of free and paid tools available. Possibly even do an audit with an professional team. To get an full check done and to find out if there any vulnerabilities.