{"id":29627,"date":"2015-10-11T11:47:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-11T10:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/"},"modified":"2015-10-11T11:47:00","modified_gmt":"2015-10-11T10:47:00","slug":"website-security-most-common-attacks-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Website security: how to protect yourself against the most common attacks in 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today, website security is one of the most important aspects of doing business online. Faced with a growing number of cyberattacks in 2015, site owners have to be especially alert. So how do you protect yourself against the most common attacks and make sure your users can browse your site safely?<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#The_most_common_types_of_attacks_in_2015\" >The most common types of attacks in 2015<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#Regular_software_updates\" >Regular software updates<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#Using_strong_passwords_and_two-factor_authentication\" >Using strong passwords and two-factor authentication<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#SSL_certificates_and_data_encryption\" >SSL certificates and data encryption<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#Monitoring_and_regular_security_audits\" >Monitoring and regular security audits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#Limiting_access_and_permissions\" >Limiting access and permissions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#Using_firewalls_and_antivirus_tools\" >Using firewalls and antivirus tools<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#Education_and_team_awareness\" >Education and team awareness<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/website-security-most-common-attacks-2015\/#Backups_and_a_contingency_plan\" >Backups and a contingency plan<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_most_common_types_of_attacks_in_2015\"><\/span>The most common types of attacks in 2015<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To secure your site effectively, it helps to first understand which threats are the most widespread. In 2015, SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and DDoS attacks were particularly common.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SQL Injection<\/strong> &#8211; exploits vulnerabilities in database security, giving the attacker access to confidential information.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)<\/strong> &#8211; consists of injecting malicious JavaScript code into a page, which can lead to the theft of user data.<\/li>\n<li><strong>DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)<\/strong> &#8211; overloading the server by sending a huge number of requests, which makes the site unavailable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Regular_software_updates\"><\/span>Regular software updates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One of the simplest and at the same time most effective forms of protection is updating your software regularly. Both content management systems (CMS) and any plugins or themes should always be on the latest version. Software vendors care about the security of their users, so they frequently publish patches that remove newly found vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_strong_passwords_and_two-factor_authentication\"><\/span>Using strong passwords and two-factor authentication<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Site security depends largely on how well administrator and user accounts are protected. Using strong, unique passwords is the baseline. On top of that, it is worth implementing two-factor authentication, which makes access far harder for unauthorized people. Thanks to this, even if someone learns our password, they will not log in to the account without the additional code.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SSL_certificates_and_data_encryption\"><\/span>SSL certificates and data encryption<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Encrypting the connection between the user and the server is crucial, especially if our site processes personal data or payments. An SSL certificate allows information to be transmitted safely, protecting it from interception by third parties. It is worth investing in a certificate from a trusted provider and deploying it on your site.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Monitoring_and_regular_security_audits\"><\/span>Monitoring and regular security audits<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Constant monitoring of activity on the site makes it possible to spot suspicious behavior quickly. It is worth using tools for log analysis and anomaly detection. Regular security audits, carried out on your own or with the help of specialists, allow potential vulnerabilities to be identified and removed before attackers exploit them.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Limiting_access_and_permissions\"><\/span>Limiting access and permissions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not every user needs full permissions on the site. Restricting access to the admin panel to trusted IP addresses only, or granting individual accounts the minimum necessary permissions, increases security. Thanks to this, even if an account with limited permissions is taken over, the damage to the site will be smaller.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_firewalls_and_antivirus_tools\"><\/span>Using firewalls and antivirus tools<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Firewalls and antivirus software are further layers of protection. A firewall filters network traffic and blocks suspicious connections, while antivirus software protects against malware. Together they form an effective barrier against many types of attacks.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Education_and_team_awareness\"><\/span>Education and team awareness<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Even the best technical safeguards cannot replace human vigilance. It is important that the whole team responsible for the site is aware of potential threats and knows how to react to them. Regular cybersecurity training can significantly raise the overall level of protection.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Backups_and_a_contingency_plan\"><\/span>Backups and a contingency plan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Despite all efforts, there is always a risk that the site will be attacked. That is why it is important to create data backups regularly and to have a contingency plan in place. If problems occur, this makes it possible to bring the site back online quickly and to minimize losses.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to learn more about the latest practices in e-commerce security, take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/customer-data-protection-in-ecommerce-guide\/\">guide to protecting customer data in e-commerce<\/a>. For those interested in comprehensive cybersecurity solutions, we also recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/cybersecurity-best-practices-for-companies-guide\/\">cybersecurity best practices for companies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that website security is a continuous process. It requires regular work and updates in order to protect you effectively against ever newer threats.<\/p>\n<p>Protect your site today and give your users a safe way to use your services online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, website security is one of the most important aspects of doing business online. Faced with a growing number of cyberattacks in 2015, site owners have to be especially alert. So how do you protect yourself against the most common attacks and make sure your users can browse your site safely? The most common types [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[828,808,826],"tags":[2012,925,1057,901,2020],"class_list":["post-29627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity","category-it-en","category-technology","tag-2015-en","tag-cybersecurity","tag-data-protection","tag-security","tag-web-attacks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.web-systems.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}