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Breaking access credentials, hijacking websites, exploiting servers and clouds – the 21st century is full of breaches and hacker attacks. Cybersecurity is not a simple field, so we decided to briefly address the issue of website security.
I use WordPress – is there a chance someone could hack in?
The answer is simple – there’s always a chance! Everything that humans create, humans can break. Regardless of whether it’s WordPress, Drupal, PrestaShop, or Joomla. There’s no CMS (Content Management System) that can’t be breached.
Unfortunately, the problem very often isn’t the CMS itself. Criminals don’t always use advanced methods to gain access to our accounts. Phishing, a fraud method based on social engineering, is often not complicated at all. The fact is, if a user voluntarily provides their credentials, there’s no need to hack anything. That’s why we live in times when you can’t trust anyone just because they say something. People can call and claim they’re from the bank, from the government, and that they need your data such as logins, passwords, ID numbers, etc. Remember never to share private and confidential data with anyone, and when it comes to accounts and passwords – always use two-factor authentication whenever possible.
But what if a hacker actually decides to break in?
Such a scenario can’t be ruled out, but you can try to protect against it.
Let’s start by listing the methods a criminal might use to breach your website’s security:
- Cross Site Scripting – one of the most popular attack methods that allows malicious code to be triggered on a website, enabling the extraction of private data (e.g., users from an online store, cookie files, and much more).
- Directory Traversal – a particularly dangerous attack method. It allows access to private content stored on the server, such as customer data, digital goods being sold, etc.
- Command Injection – this method allows triggering commands on the server by modifying the behavior of specific parts of the website.
- SQL Injection – an attack exploiting a vulnerability in the application that allows modification of database queries. Cybercriminals “inject” code that can damage your MySQL database.
As you can see, there are quite a few threats out there. There are many dangers on the internet, and it’s difficult to protect against all of them.
But there is a solution for securing your website!
WAF (Web Application Firewall) – a solution available from many network service providers such as AWS, OVH, or Home, which allows you to secure your website by filtering the traffic your application will accept. It protects against the most common everyday problems and threats. WAF is especially recommended for anyone running forums or online stores on a server, since user data is the most critical asset to protect.
Another solution worth considering is DNSSEC (The Domain Name System Security Extensions). This is an extension of the DNS system aimed primarily at increasing its security through encryption and cryptography. This system verifies where data comes from and what information it contains by comparing internal keys.
Unfortunately, there’s never certainty about whether and for how long our data will remain confidential. However, there are many methods to increase security. Regardless of the method used, remember that the most vulnerable element of the system is the user. That’s why Spec od IT recommends creating complex, lengthy passwords, never sharing them with anyone, and protecting access with two-factor authentication – this alone provides significant website security.
If you’re worried that you won’t remember all these passwords and might forget some of them – contact us. We’ll gladly set up a special encrypted database on your computer to securely store your private data, passwords, and numbers so you never lose them.
As always to wrap things up – have a great day and talk to you soon!
