Online presence poses the same threat that you can face on the streets. Just because you are not prone to physical danger in the outside setting doesn’t mean you can’t compromise your safety. There are many ways that simple information access to your identity can lead to the loss of thousands in money, and other people can use your profile online to pass it off as theirs. There is no perfectly safe way to stay on the internet, but there are ways you can increase your protection against these imminent threats to danger.
In 2015, the United States declared its biggest data breach incident, which affected the information of about 78.8M individuals. A group of hackers were able to store the personal data of millions of people in the Healthcare Industry leading to gateways of opportunities for other bodies and agencies to benefit from said stored data. Big companies and agencies should always safeguard sensitive information for individuals. Nevertheless, unwanted individuals could still access large volumes of these data. In the end, companies bear little to no repercussions on the event.
It may seem like all the work falls on the millions of users who log in on the web every single day. The answer is that companies and developers are just as accountable if there are cases of danger to users. It’s everybody’s hand-in-hand responsibility to keep a safe online space. As a developer, you should invest in creating safe online spaces via website testing services. Consider these testing services as a step of due diligence for teams of developers who want to offer something to the public in a virtual space.
Ways To Ensure a Secure Website
It’s time to stay vigilant and take some active measures to increase protection in your online activities.
- Keep Everything up to Date
- Add the Necessary Certifications
- Keep Only Good Credentials for Online Accounts
- Secure a Web Host With High Protection
These are some of the most common ways to ensure website security.
1] Keep Everything up to Date
The first step for all people, whether developers or online users, is to keep everything up to date! Over time, websites can start accumulating bugs and holes that compromise safety. Update the necessary applications, software, and systems to guarantee that everything has the latest protection and safety measures from attacks. Most update downloads can include patch-ups that lessen the website’s glitches and issues.
2] Add the Necessary Certifications
There is such a thing as an SSL certificate for most websites. For users, if websites require private information, always look at the search bar first. There should be an “HTTPS://” to deliver the data. If there is only an “HTTP://,” then it means there is no SSL certificate that shows the website lacks data encryption as you input your information in the web forms.
SSL certificates allow you to provide a secure connection between a site and a user. An HTTPS connection protects sensitive data that users exchange during each session, such as transaction data, plastic card numbers, or authorization data.
Thus, an SSL certificate allows you to use the HTTPS protocol, ensuring that information remains confidential and online transactions are protected.
3] Keep Only Good Credentials for Online Accounts
Creating the best combination of passwords is one of the strongest measures for users every day. Never use passwords that are easily linked to things you share online. Keeping a combination of all symbol types that apply to password applications exponentially increases the likelihood that your password gets broken down. Whether it’s a birthday, your dog’s name, or the school you attend, nothing from this easily remembered information can keep your website information secure enough.
4] Secure a Web Host With High Protection
For many developers, securing the best web host is one of the essential investments you need to make. On top of having a reliable host that ensures your website is up and running more than 99% of the time, a good web host offers the best protection measures for any building website. Many web hosting services provide relevant features and the best package deals. Sometimes, the small additional cost can significantly improve the website’s security over time.
Conclusion
With the rise of cybercrime, it is imperative for website owners to know how to provide their customers with a secure connection. To join the ranks of “Reliable” websites, you need to install an SSL certificate on your website or online store. But first, you need to understand what an SSL certificate is, what types of security certificates are, what their difference is, and how to transfer your site to HTTPS.
- Always check the padlock icon and S in HTTPS on the web address to ensure the site is encrypted.
- When creating a website, install an SSL certificate so that connections to the site are encrypted.
- When you click on links in emails, PDFs, or online text, hover over the hyperlink to ensure the link matches the page you want to go to.
- Pay attention to the spelling of web addresses, watch out for spelling errors or extra letters that can be secretly used to mislead the user.
There isn’t one direct way to ensure a perfectly safe website. The best thing that any developer can do is invest in the safest things that improve user protection. On the other hand, it’s part of any online user’s due diligence to keep high alert levels for online activities. It’s a two-way street to ensure fewer attacks and threats to online activities and spaces. Everybody should always look out and ensure proper behavior and practices online.
