While websites have become essential tools for businesses, they are in constant threat from cybercriminals using increasingly sophisticated and complex methods to exploit them. At the same time, digital security firms and service providers are developing new technologies and protocols to thwart existing and evolving threats. In this post, we look at the threats to web hosting in 2024 and explain what website owners can do to keep their sites secure.
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Current and evolving threats
According to the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2023, half of all UK businesses experienced a cyberattack during the last 12 months, with 22% of these becoming a victim of cybercrime. The most common threat, by far, was phishing, with 90% of businesses being attacked and 3% experiencing fraud as a result. Meanwhile, 35% of businesses saw criminals impersonate them to defraud customers; 17% had their devices targeted with malware; 8% saw attempts to take over their websites, social media and email accounts; 7% experienced hacking attempts; 6% had ransomware attacks, and 5% were on the receiving end of a DDoS attack.
Cybercriminals are also using more advanced means to attack websites, including AI-enabled hacking and malware distribution tools that, once inside a system, wreak havoc to prevent them from being forensically traced. Perhaps just as scary is that some groups are even selling their services to less well-equipped gangs, such as Ransomware as a Service.
What’s more, hackers are not only seeking new ways to get into systems; they are looking for new systems to attack, like IoT devices, such as smart doorbells and central heating controllers. They are also finding new ways to exploit systems, such as crypto-jacking, where your web server is taken over and used to help criminals mine for cryptocurrency.
Don’t leave it to chance, read: 8 Reasons Your Website is a Target for Cybercriminals
Security tools and best practice
To keep websites secure, owners should make use of the right tools and follow best practice. This starts with protecting your hosting account to ensure no one can access your control panel and billing information or take control of the site. To do this, you should enforce strong passwords for all users and implement two-factor authentication (2FA) so that if someone steals your password, they’ll still require another verification method to gain access.
Another essential security requirement for websites is an SSL certificate. With this installed, any data sent from your users’ browsers to your website, such as payment information, will be strongly encrypted so that it cannot be stolen in transit. It will also mean your website is labelled as secure by browsers, which can be helpful in gaining the trust of customers.
Although more technically demanding, make sure that your server is securely configured, that default passwords are changed to more secure ones, and that access control is in place. This can include password protection for your website directories.
When it comes to advanced tools, a firewall is a must for filtering out potentially malicious traffic and stopping threats from reaching your site. In addition, malware prevention tools will detect and remove malicious software, like viruses, Trojans and ransomware, before they can cause harm. Beyond these, it’s also vital to configure your servers securely. This means default passwords are changed, unnecessary services are disabled, and proper access controls are put in place.
Finally, if your business has employees, make sure they are aware of threats, such as phishing scams, which can lead them to give away their login credentials.
Be proactive
If we consider 2023’s cybercrime figures, then you have a 50% chance that your site will face some kind of attack in 2024. With this in mind, you need to be proactive in dealing with threats. Tools like Imunify360 are ideal for this, as they perform round-the-clock monitoring of your website, checking for and eradicating threats. This includes a built-in web application firewall, intrusion prevention system and anti-virus system. What’s more, it will also patch your kernel and PHP to ensure that your key software is updated and free from vulnerabilities.
Another best practice is to implement automatic updates for both your core website software and any plugins or add-ons that you use. Updating as soon as possible ensures that newly discovered vulnerabilities can be removed before cybercriminals try to take advantage of them.
For more information about Imunify360, read: The Most Effective Security Tool for Linux Servers
Secure your web app
A lot of cyberattacks are aimed at web applications, such as websites and customer-facing tools. This makes it vital to ensure your website software, e.g., WordPress or Magento, and your plugins are well-defended. Web application firewalls are designed to block malicious traffic from this software, and automatic updates will ensure security holes are fixed.
For additional protection, make sure you only use third-party plugins from trustworthy sources, as it is not unheard of for cyber criminals to modify them for malicious purposes and then offer free or cheap downloads from unofficial websites. Moreover, if you have plugins you no longer use, uninstall them. It is easy to forget about updating a disabled plugin if it doesn’t appear in the active plugin list.
Back up your data
Should you fall victim to a hacking or malware attack, all your data is at risk. Hackers can delete it; malware can corrupt it, and both these can be used to steal it. This not only includes all your software and web content, but any data you hold on your customers, including personal, financial and sales information. The costs of restoring your site from scratch and the length of time it takes to recover can, for many firms, put them out of business.
The only way to prevent a disaster like a data breach from turning into a major catastrophe for your business is to have an effective backup strategy. Indeed, backups don’t just help in the case of a cyberattack, they also keep you protected from data loss resulting from hardware failure, software corruption and human error.
Modern, cloud-based backup solutions are designed to provide the most rigorous protection in this area. Aside from storing your backups remotely from your server, they enable you to schedule automated backups at the frequency your business needs, ensuring everything is always up to date. What’s more, they are checked for integrity to ensure they will work if you need them, and the data is encrypted to prevent anyone from accessing it. Importantly, being stored in the cloud means you can access it very quickly should you need it, speeding up the recovery process.
For more information, read: Why Website Backup is Important – A Complete Guide
Check your web host’s security features
With the right web hosting provider, you can worry less about your security, knowing that much of it is being taken care of by your host. Not only does this bring peace of mind, but it also means the cost of security is minimised and you won’t need technical expertise to implement it.
A good service provider will defend their customer’s websites with advanced firewalls and intrusion detection systems, keeping hacking, malware and DDoS attacks at bay. They’ll offer SSL certificates to encrypt user data and ensure that any files you upload are protected during transfer. Depending on your choice of hosting plan, you may be offered free daily backups, or you may be able to opt for the sophisticated system we mentioned above where you can schedule automated backups. Meanwhile, they’ll provide encryption for data at rest, spam filtering to catch emails containing malware and phishing scams, and even offer email encryption solutions.
With managed hosting, you’ll also find that your operating system is updated and patched for you and that your server is configured securely, preventing a wider range of attacks from happening.
Conclusion
With websites being a major target for cybercriminals, security has to be a top priority for site owners. From reading this article, you’ll now be aware of what the main threats are in 2024, and the various technologies, tools and best practices that help protect your site from them. You will also understand the vital role that a web host can play in your security strategy and how they can take much of the burden from you. Hopefully, armed with this information, you’ll be able to make your website even more secure.
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