With the advancement of technology and innovation, cyber-attacks have also become more sophisticated than ever before. There is a constant threat to organizations from hackers as data breaches have significantly grown over the years. All enterprises are at equal risk from cybercriminals, making web security-critical for all. A proactive IT security strategy is key to reducing the escalation of malware, spyware, and other kinds of cybercrimes.
The Growing Importance Of Website Security For Enterprises
According to research reports, more than half of the traffic comes from automated sources, including hacking, spammers, bots, etc. Hackers make use of malicious software to target company websites to gather data or infect these websites. Websites that lack security tools and measures can be easily attacked using malware to infect sites that may be used by site visitors. This can have a massive impact on businesses with a loss of credibility and revenue.
Investing in web security is an essential step for safeguarding your website against hackers. Furthermore, recovering from hacked sites can prove to be more expensive than spending on improving IT security for businesses. Apart from the loss of trust from customers, it could bring down your website’s search engine rankings. Also, Google gives priority to websites that are secure and have SSL certification. Customers prefer to navigate sites that offer them extra protection in terms of security and personal information privacy.
Top 7 Common Web Security Mistakes That Must Be Avoided
According to research reports on cyber-attacks, the total number of data breaches increased from 1,257 to 1,473 in 2019, with over 164.6 million records compromised.
1. Lack Of Robust Authentication System
Enterprises that have weak authentication processes are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Especially, systems with easy passwords may pave the way for hackers to access the network, which can compromise essential customer data. The absence of a two-factor authentication system and SSL certificate can increase hacking risk in such scenarios. Thus, enterprises need to pay attention to such website technical issues, have a strong password policy, and use complex passwords.
· 2. Absence Of SSL Certification
One of the significant issues faced by enterprises that do not have SSL certification is the increased threat of cyber-attacks as it’s easy to steal the data using HTTP. On the other hand, installing SSL certificates on the websites act as a trust symbol for the visitors and improves brand credibility. The webserver encrypts the HTTPS messages to ensure communication remains safe and is passed on to the intended recipient. There are numerous options available for enterprises that wish to secure multiple subdomains, such as wildcard SSL certificates.
3. Threat From SQL Injections
SQL injection comprises almost 2/3rd of the cyber-attacks on web applications that enable hackers to interfere with the SQL query. As a result, the hacker gains access to the data or information used in his query, which may be misused. This exposes sensitive information, including customer data or financial records that could prove detrimental to your business. The best way to prevent such attacks is by applying updates and patches and using a firewall to filter any malicious data.
4. Malware Attacks
Malicious attacks pose the biggest threat to any organization as hackers design them with the sole intention of causing damage to your network or stealing data. Over the years, malware has evolved in different forms, and Trojan Horse is one of the most common types of software used for this purpose. Spyware is also a prevalent malware that may be downloaded onto the device. Nowadays, ransomware attacks and phishing is widely used to gain access to enterprise data.
The best approach to curb the menace of malware attacks is to use vulnerability scanners to expose the system flaws or weaknesses and have software updates installed regularly.
5. Cross-site Scripting
Cross-site scripting enables hackers to inject malicious code and interferes with the security of the web application. The way it works is by targeting the users of the application by executing malicious scripts into the web browser or the web page. The most vulnerable areas of attack include message boards, forums where comments are posted. Cross-site scripting can compromise user accounts and may be used to activate Trojan horse programs as well. Also, it may be used to tamper with website content and drive website visitors to malicious sites.
6. Absence Of Sufficient Logging
Insufficient logging and monitoring is known to be one of the leading causes of the growth of cybercrime activities. Hackers always look out for loopholes and vulnerabilities, such as the absence of monitoring and quick detection, and timely response to incidents. Thus, not having logs of user activities can prove costly to your business as there may not be adequate data required by real-time threat detection systems. As a result, they may fail to provide alerts on potential cyber-attacks and compromise the organization’s valuable data. It may also be worthwhile investing in website issue checker tools to enhance your website performance.
7. Exposure Of Sensitive Data
The most significant risk comes from data that may be passed on through sessions, poorly constructed code, or URL. Sensitive data needs to be protected at all times, and this requires using proper and reliable encryption mechanisms. This applies especially to credit card information, passwords, and other confidential data. Enterprises need to install SSL certificates to protect vital customer or business-related information.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that no business-whether big or small is safe from cyber-attacks. Enterprises need to emphasize improving their system’s security by adhering to the best cybersecurity policies and practices. Also, employees within the organization need to be trained to recognize the possible threats and identity system vulnerabilities.Email virus scanners, anti-virus protection, and firewalls can provide extra defense against increasing cyber threats. It’s also necessary to assess the security riskswhen creating a website to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. The key is to boost your customers’ trust by providing them with a safe and secure environment to make transactions with greater confidence.