Perhaps the most worrisome part of your business’ online presence is the amount of time and resources you have invested in its overall security and if it is even worth it at all. In a world where even the most secure of websites are being broken in by an increasingly – and worryingly so – adept hacking force comprised of not only trained and professional individuals but kids who are able to get their hands on sophisticated scripts and software, you should be losing more than just a little sleep over the possibility that you too could one day be a target.
But, before you can go ahead and plug the leaks – or check to see if there are any at all – you should know what to look for and what aspect of your website has security flaws. This includes everything from your source code and the hosting provider the site sits on, to the administrators and the general public that is meant to use it.
Therefore, to help you with coming up with a plan, we will look at some of the biggest security threats to your business website that online security experts have pointed out:
Man – the weakest link in any computer network system is man. You, one of your colleagues, or a member of the public that is using your site without the proper care required to perform a secure transaction (because of weak passwords, misplaced passwords, using compromised devices, etc.) will always be the defeat of even the most secure of networks.
The only way you can avoid this is by creating security awareness and constantly reminding people of the imminent threats out there that are just waiting for a chance to pounce on your data.
Data – although most business owners (or other concerned employees) know the value of the data they have, there are some that overlook the true intrinsic values of the information they deem to be irrelevant or something that would be of no use to hackers.
As a matter of principle, businesses should treat any and all the data that they have at hand as something that could be of potential use to anyone who is seeking to gain access to personal and/or financial information. This means no piece of data should be given preferential treatment over another. Hackers today can piece together a surprisingly detailed profile of a victim by gathering the most “menial” and “irrelevant” bits of information about them and not necessarily from one data source.
Technology – this, while a no-brainer, is one of the biggest gaping holes in business’ security infrastructure. According to experts, almost all cyber-attacks are successful simply because the hackers exploited a flaw which had been around for a while, and could/should have been corrected.
The main culprit here is lack of training or simply because the administrators didn’t think the flaw would have any serious consequences.
For example, encryption – or rather the lack of it – is one reason that stolen data is really useful. Now, although most businesses have enough sense to encrypt their data – whether it is on their employees’ devices, in transit through the LAN or over the internet, or while it is in storage – they make the mistake of not letting their staff members know that the encryption on their devices only works if it is kept under lock and key.
Having a device fully encrypted and yet leaving it unattended without locking the screen while going for a few words by the water cooler defeats the whole purpose. It is just a matter of copy-pasting data for a theft to be successful.
Evil Genius – if you think you have seen the worst of hacks and attacks on servers and businesses, then you will be quite shocked by what is soon to come. As networks and businesses move to the cloud the levels of sophistication of attacks (and the tools and wares used to do them) will come from the minds of pure evil geniuses.
Take for example the fact that more and more businesses are adopting the IoT (Internet of Things) and BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices). As a host of devices join the working environment so too will the unforeseen ways of getting past the network that brings them together.
Attacks like “Client Side Injected Malware” – a new form of malware that infects browsers through ads or spyware guised as genuine websites – will wreak havoc on networks. Already new malware and hacking tools are being created to attack wearable devices so they can be used to jump on to the networks or the servers behind them. If the people using these devices haven’t had the chance to secure the devices, then they become easy gateways for everyone trying to take a peek inside.
Although you really can’t be 100 percent sure, dealing with these threats will be a good place to start for a secure website.
