Is Your Website Safe?
Most businesses these days have a website. However, many users are doing little to nothing to ensure their website is secure. Remember, the security of your website greatly influences the credibility of your business, and a website that isn’t secure also puts your business’s sensitive data at risk. Learning how to test if your website is secure is essential to keeping your digital business running safely and smoothly.
Step By Step: How to Test If Your Website Is Secure
Checking the SSL Certificate
The first step for how to test if your website is secure is checking if your website is SSL certified. When a computer connects to a website, there is an exchange that happens between your computer’s web browser and the web service it is being hosted on. Your SSL validation certificate does two things for your website. It grants permissions for encrypted communication through the Public Key Infrastructure, and it also authenticates the integrity of your certificate’s holder.
If your website starts with “HTTPS” versus “HTTP”, this means that your site is secure with an SSL certification.
Website Themes Matter
How to test if your website is secure requires digging deeper than just the site URL. Did you know that website themes are made with code? As time goes on, an older website theme may be more vulnerable to hackers, or the code may even become obsolete. Checking that you are running a current theme on your website is another simple way to keep your website secure.
Your Site & Security Tools
Let’s talk about antivirus! Always ensure that all your systems have up-to-date antivirus software and are on a program for automatic updates.
Security Tools
Websites like Virus Total and Google Safe Browsing can scan your website for malicious risks and vulnerabilities, so you can best select your ideal antivirus software and plugins to keep your website secure.
Vulnerability Scans
Does your system have any weak links? It should be an industry standard to have annual vulnerability scans done on your network. However, this procedure is often pushed by the wayside. Business owners don’t realize how risky it is to ignore cybersecurity check-ups on their systems. Vulnerability scans can test across various operating systems, devices, and applications. Every scan will help identify software flaws, malware, missing patches, and misconfigurations. This will help your company stay on top of premature and existing site issues.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Our final thoughts on how to test if your website is secure! Think of cybersecurity programs as an insurance policy for your business. There is a chance you won’t get hacked, but you are always better safe than sorry. Billions of dollars are poured into cybersecurity in the United States because security breaches can cause sizeable issues for a company. So, make sure you are doing everything you can to keep yourself and your business safe online.
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