Easy Ways to Stop Your Business from Being Hacked

Your business is your investment, so you will want to do everything you can to stop it from being compromised. So many people think that it is only large, corporate empires that get hacked because they have data that is worth stealing. In reality, small businesses are even more at risk because they don’t have the right security in place and hackers know this more than anyone. For this reason, if you operate a small business then it is so important that you put the work in to try and protect it as much as you possibly can.

Secure Coding

A lot of attacks happen because of programming errors. If you have programming that is

unprofessional then this can be a weak point and hackers can easily take advantage of this. If you want to stop all of that from happening then it helps to go through your programming from time to time so you can make sure that everything is in order.  It doesn’t take long to do but it could save your business from being hacked.

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Update your Software

It’s so important that you keep all of your software updated. You also need to remove any software that is not deemed to be necessary as well. This includes your operating system, your applications and even your network. Hackers are always looking out for holes in software as it provides them with a way to access your computer information, so this is something that you need to keep in mind. Usually your computer will tell you when your system needs updating, so it really has never been easier for you to stay on top of it. If you are one of those people who just click ignore because you can’t be bothered restarting your system, then this will really expose your business to additional threats.

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SSL

SSL is a protocol that is designed to provide you with a good level of security when browsing the internet. The browser works by requesting a security certificate from the site to find out if it is safe to use. If the site does not provide a certificate then the browser is instantly notified and so is the user. If your site is not secure then you are essentially telling hackers that your site is vulnerable and it also gives a bad impression to your customers as well. If you want to get around this then you need to make sure that you go through your site and make sure that it is secure. It doesn’t take long, but it can make a world of difference to your company image and safety.

File Uploads

If you let your users upload files to your site then this will really put your business at risk. A lot of people think that if they limit the types of files a user can upload, this will make it safer. This is not the case at all, and in reality, a hacker can use any file to access your system. All they have to do is create a script that can open on your site to bring your whole company down. The best and easiest way for you to try and prevent this would be for you to prevent direct access to uploaded files. If you do have to allow file uploads then it is worth looking into a secure file transportation system. If your files are of special importance to you then you may want to look into MSP BDR as they can help you to backup anything you need.

Passwords

It’s so important that you have a password that is nice and strong. Your password should really have a mixture of numbers, letters, special characters and even capital letters as well. You should never use the same password for more than one site and you should change it on a regular basis. It also helps to make sure that you don’t put your password online or in any form of online storage. Of course, it’s not enough for you to do this, because you need to make your customers do it as well. Sure, they may not be happy at not being able to use their “ABC123” password but at the end of the day, it will help to keep everyone protected.

Error Messages

If you want to keep your business secure, then you need to keep your error messages as discreet as possible. If you give too much information away then this will help hackers to target your site and this is the last thing that you need. Examples of this include “incorrect username” or even “incorrect password”. If you want to notify your user that they have entered the wrong information then put up a message saying “incorrect login” instead as this is much more discreet.