Taking a website live means getting exposed to hackers. Hackers really target websites that are worthwhile to steal data such as credit card information etc or just to make themselves or a particular message highlighted. So if your website is an ecommerce or a really prominent one in terms of recognition and traffic, then the chances of getting attacked is high. It is one of the highest priority of any website owner to have their sites and reputation secured. You have a legal obligation to safeguard your site against possible attacks as well as your users/audience.
Restrict Access Control
The main thing that needs to be safeguarded first is the access to the website’s backend. Modify the Url used to access the admin of your site. Make it a harder one to figure instead of the usual ones such as domain.com/admin for example. Block the admin path via robots_txt from getting listed on search engines. Then ensure the Username & Password is a tough one to guess. Follow that with limitation on the number of login attempts with a specific time period.
Update Module Versions
Many module / plugin developers continue to enhance the performance and security aspects of their modules and release updates. It is highly recommended to install these updates immediately when they are available. If these updates were related to mitigating certain identified security vulnerability, then you are protected once the particular module/plugin is updated against that threat. Remember hackers are on the constant lookout for sites with any vulnerability to take advantage.
Tighten Network Security
Restrict any users from inadvertently offering access route to the website servers by making logins to expire after short period of time, changing passwords frequently and constantly scanning the devices plugged into the network for malware.
Install Web Application Firewall
A web application firewall can either be a software or an hardware based one. This reads each and every data passed through it by placing itself between the website server and data connection. This firewall will filter and stop all unwanted traffic such as malicious bots, spammers and hacking attempts.
Install Security Applications
If you are using any CMS based websites such as WordPress or Magento, there are several free and paid security modules available to protect your website against cyber-threats. These plugins will hide your website’s CMS, restricting people from reading important files of your website configuration and ban users by specifying IP addresses / user agents to name some.
Use SSL
If your website is used to transact a user’s personal information, then an SSL certificate is a must. This will prevent confidential details being read in transit.
Remove Form Auto-Fill
Don’t have the auto-fill function on your website forms. When a user’s phone or laptop is stolen and compromised or someone gets access to it without the knowledge of the owner, then using the auto-fill feature on your website’s form vital information could be gained.
Back-up Database
Always backup the database of your website constantly, especially if its an ecommerce one. Suppose the server fails or your website gets compromised, you can easily recover the lost data and restore quickly.