How to Protect Your Website from Hacking and Data Loss?

Website hacking is a common problem. Even large corporations and state-owned enterprises can suffer from hacker attacks. So how can you protect your website from hacking and data loss? Let's try to understand this issue.

What Is Website Protection Against Hacking?

Protecting an online resource (website, web pages, servers and databases) is a precautionary measure to prevent unauthorised access. With properly planned protection, hackers will not be able to use the resource's resources, gain access to the resource's information, or disrupt its performance.

What are the types of hacking?

An unprotected website is vulnerable to various threats. 

The most common types include:

• DDoS attacks
• virus infections
• malicious code injection
• direct hacking

Accidental infection of a website is nearly impossible—the source of hacking is always an intent to gain some form of benefit. Therefore, hacking or infecting a website is always a deliberate act.

What are the types of attacks? 

There are three main types of attacks:

- XSS attack. This involves injecting malicious code into user data. Such attacks can completely disrupt the operation of online platforms, potentially rendering them entirely inoperable.

- SQL injection. Used to gain access to databases, this attack allows hackers to download, retrieve, or modify any data. It is carried out by adding additional actions to an SQL query without altering its structure.

- DDoS attack. This is aimed at reducing the resource's accessibility or popularity. It involves a massive number of simultaneous requests to a server, exceeding its capacity. This can cause parts of the website—or the entire site—to freeze, effectively blocking its functionality. These attacks can render a web resource non-functional, extract sensitive data from the site, exploit access to perform actions such as transferring funds, sending spam, or exposing users' personal information.

What Are the Consequences of Website Infection?

A virus-infected website can lead to numerous issues, including:

• redirecting visitors to another platform;
• blocking the resource from users searching for information;
• injecting viruses (commonly “Trojans”) onto visitors' computers;
• seizing control and management of the site.

A Trojan infection allows the author of the virus to take control of finances, provides access to passwords and any information of interest. Viruses from this group are referred to as scripts. Well-disguised, they can hide for months, causing huge losses, so the slogan ‘it's easier to prevent than to destroy’ is more relevant than ever in the fight against viruses. 

Methods of Infection

A virus doesn't appear on its own; it always has an author or distributor — the person responsible for infecting the site. A website can become infected in the following ways:

• using infected plugins or templates (common in WordPress site vulnerabilities);
• placing ads from unverified sources;
• leaving certain files within the site accessible;
• falling victim to a hacker brute-forcing a login-password pair (via social engineering);
• uploading infected content by subscribers.

Regardless of the infection method, the attacker’s goal is to exploit the site’s resources or derive some form of benefit. Losing control over the site can result in financial loss, a decline in users, or penalties from search engines.

Methods and Levels of Security

Website security typically consists of three key components:

• software security (CMS, scripts)
• server security (hosting)
• awareness and diligence of the administrator or those managing the platform

When all three elements are properly organized, the online resource will be as protected as possible from hackers and viruses.

Using Reliable Software

The choice of a content management system (CMS) plays a significant role in ensuring the security of a website. Reliability means the absence of vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized access to the database, file system, or admin panel.

To prevent vulnerabilities in scripts or CMS, potential hacking attempts should be considered during development. If pre-made software is used, it must be updated promptly. Scripts can be checked for weaknesses using scanners and vulnerability detection tools, such as:

• Xspider;
• Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner;
• utilities for detecting SQL injections, XSS, RFI, and more. Excellent results can also be achieved by analyzing the source code using static code analysis tools, such as RIPS.

Website Security Can Be Improved by Taking the Time to Build the Right Configuration: 

Website security can be enhanced by dedicating time to building a proper configuration:

• set permissions for files and directories correctly;
• restrict access to directories containing backups, files, etc;
• disable script execution in upload directories;
• add extra protection for accessing the admin panel, among other measures.

Choosing Reliable Hosting

Choosing a hosting provider requires careful consideration, as its configuration plays a critical role in ensuring security. Hosting services can be divided into shared and dedicated hosting. Shared hosting places the responsibility for security on the administrator of the hosting provider, whereas dedicated hosting places the responsibility on the website owner.

The stricter the server configuration rules, the more secure the server. Any action that is not essential to the proper functioning of the resource should be prohibited. These rules are generally easier to implement with dedicated hosting than with shared hosting. However, hosting often does not solve the problem of identifying viruses on a website. It can only block access to the resource and notify the owner. In addition, not all hosting providers support the integration of services such as Cloudflare, despite its threat mitigation capabilities.

Administrator Responsibilities for Ensuring Security

To ensure website security, the owner should entrust its management to an experienced system administrator. The administrator's responsibilities include setting up the server, restricting the freedom of scripts, hiding them, creating mechanisms for controlling the integrity of the file system, backup systems and logging.  

The security of the resource depends on the operation of antivirus software, so it is better to purchase commercial software and regularly scan all the computers you work from. You should use secure SFTP or SCP protocols. All three security components are extremely important, and neglecting any one of them can lead to the weakening of the entire system.

How to Protect Your Website from Hacking?

To securely protect your website, adhere to the following rules:

• сreate strong passwords;
• regularly update your software;
• install security programs;
• perform regular backups of your content;
• use secure connections;
• periodically conduct comprehensive penetration tests to detect vulnerabilities.

Alternatively, consider subscribing to a comprehensive 24/7 website monitoring and protection service. Adopting such a policy can minimize the risk of hacking.

Creating and Storing Passwords

A secure password should meet criteria that reduce the likelihood of it being guessed:

• avoid using personal information as passwords;
• consider the risk of hacking by acquaintances;
• include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters in a random order;
• create passwords with a significant length, between 8 to 30 characters.

Passwords should not be stored in browsers, email accounts, or sent via messaging apps.

Each resource should have its own unique password, and it’s recommended to change passwords at least once a month. Avoid storing passwords on a personal computer with a personal identifier. Instead, saving passwords on a flash drive is much more secure.

Regular Software Updates

The most reliable protection is provided by original software that is regularly updated. Avoid using “cracked” versions, as they are typically outdated and may contain malicious modifications inserted by hackers. Additionally, cracked versions lack developer support, which can leave you vulnerable to security threats.

Installing Security Plugins and Antivirus

A website must be equipped with antivirus software to prevent data loss or destruction. For this purpose, it’s recommended to use advanced plugins like iThemes Security, Wordfence, and others. These tools allow for user activity monitoring, protection against spam, and prevention of XSS attacks.

Using virus protection services such as Antivirus-alarm, VirusTotal, or Sucuri helps prevent infections or facilitates quick removal of infected files. Additional support can be obtained from webmaster services. In Yandex Webmaster, navigate to the “Diagnostics” tab, then proceed to “Security and Violations.” In Google Webmaster, check the “Security Issues” tab.

Regular Content Backups

Regularly backing up the website ensures that, in case of a virus infection, hacking, or attacks, all data can be restored, and vulnerabilities can be addressed. Backups can be created via the hosting control panel or through plugins. For WordPress, options include BackUpWordPress, BackupBuddy, and others.

Backup data should ideally be stored in the cloud or on a PC, with backups performed every two weeks and before each CMS update.

Using Secure Connections

A critical security parameter is ensuring a secure connection. A reliable method is using an SSL certificate, which provides a secure connection between the web client and the server. With this protocol, all data is transmitted encrypted with a special cipher. SSL certificates can be available for free or for a fee, depending on the sensitivity of the data being transmitted. Applying these measures significantly reduces the risk of hacking.

What to Do If Your Website Gets Hacked?

If security issues are detected, the following steps should be taken:

• identify the cause of the infection;
• check the status of the databases;
• restrict user permissions;
• scan for viruses;
• limit access to the website;
• run antivirus software to eliminate the cause;
• contact specialists for immediate assistance (the sooner you reach out, the more information can be saved and restored to working condition).

At Datami, a rapid response service is always available for website repair and recovery.

If these procedures do not yield the desired results, restore the site from a backup and contact your hosting provider's technical support. After eliminating the threat, it’s essential to reimplement all comprehensive protection measures with a team of cybersecurity specialists from Datami.ua.