There have been many reported hacks in recent months. The NHS, Snapchat, and even celebrities have been victim to these hackers. While these are all big names and companies, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be worried. Hackers can target anyone - and I mean ANYONE.

With everything being online, such as personal information and data, payment details and more, it is no surprise hackers are trying to hack everyone. You must not think you are safe from the hackers or a threat, because one little slip could mean your whole system being vulnerable. Around 24% of businesses were attacked in 2016, and on average, can cost £3,100 to get sorted. That is a lot of money you could be spending elsewhere!

To better understand website security, and what exactly needs protecting, you need to ask why do hackers hack websites in the first place? Well, we are going to explain why…

Information

With any business that deals with online customers and trade, there is a wealth of information that is available for a hacker. Things like payment details for an ecommerce site, mailing lists, or even contact details from customer accounts. All of this is information that is very lucrative to a hacker.

Why? Because personal details can be sold for profit or used for identity fraud. It isn’t a nice thought, but it does happen and it is something that people talk about in the news, which is why some people are still weary about providing their personal details online.

To reduce your chances you need to make sure all details are stored away somewhere secure and also add in SSL certificate. The certificate provides an extra layer of security and helps encrypt customers’ information. By having these extra security certificates you are giving your customers peace of mind. Also use reputable payment platforms that are trusted so if anything does happen, they can help as well.

To Build Links and Spam

Another reason a hacker may try and attack your website is to spam and build links for their own website. As we have mentioned in our blog in the past, backlinks are one of the main factors in ranking higher up on Google and other search engines.

So if a hacker is using your website to build their links that means there will be an array of random links throughout your website. Visitors will get annoyed because links take them to random places and Google will likely penalise your website. Not good!

Get Access to your Visitors

If your website attracts a lot of people then hackers will likely want to target your website, not only for information or to build links, but to hack other people visiting your website.

Visitors to your website are likely visiting because they trust you or want to use your services, and a hacker knows this. Much like the last point, a hacker can access your website and post malicious links or insert bad files that visitors may click on - a visitor will be none the wiser. These links or files can then be installed on your visitors computer, spreading viruses or more. This then results in visitors losing trust in your company and could lead to your site being blacklisted.

Keep Your Site Secure Against Hackers

Hacking is a terrible thing and unfortunately still happens today. Ways to prevent hacking is to make sure your website is secure, make sure all patches and apps are up to date. Install a SSL certificate and make sure all your passwords are long and complicated.
Check out this handy blog from Big Eye Deers about how to keep your website more secure: Simple Tips for Website Security. If you want more help on website security or need some help implementing SSL / HTTPs, then why not give them a shout. They are based in both Cornwall and Cardiff, and have a wealth of knowledge in web development.