Hackers are constantly looking for ways into servers, and they succeed in part by finding holes in the programs and scripts that run websites.in that case you must learn how to protect a website or blog from attackers.
Although site owners often don’t have direct control over keeping these holes plugged, there are some steps they can take to help, including knowing some questions to ask of hosting providers and developers to secure a website
There is one important way that hackers get into servers over which site owners have a great deal of control: detecting passwords. By having weak passwords or not protecting passwords from being stolen, site owners provide hackers with their most useful way of getting into the back end of websites.so, to avoid that you must protect your website with a strong password
Another important source of information for hackers is the files you forget to remove from your website. Aside from files that might contain passwords, they include programs you loaded on your server in the past, aren’t currently using, and are now out-of-date and vulnerable to security breaches.
Here are more steps you can take to help ensure your site is less vulnerable to attacks:
Keep software updated—Programs such as CMSs or shopping carts will notify you when they need updating. Often these updates
are to fix security issues, and the longer you wait to do it, the longer you’re leaving potential holes unplugged.
Don’t use unknown software—If you come across a script for a feature you want on your website, check it out carefully. If it’s
poorly written, it could leave your site insecure. Stick to software that has a wide user base, or ask your web developer or host if it’s
trustworthy.
Check that your directories are secure—Using the name of one of the directories on your server, try entering that address in your
web browser (for example, http://mydomain.com/images/) and see what you get. If there’s a blank screen or an access forbidden
notice, you’re good. If you see a list of folders and files, you need to ask your host to turn off directory listing. Importance
Have error Q messaging turned off—If your site runs on a scripting language such as PHP, ask your hosting provider or web
developer if error messaging is turned on. If it is, ask them to turn it off because these messages can provide hackers with
valuable information.
Make sure your forms are secure—Submitting a form sends information to your server. If the contents of the form aren’t cleansed before getting to the server, they could be sending dangerous programs placed in the form by hackers.
This is not simple form validation, which tests things such as the formatting of postal codes, but a thorough examination of every bit of data to make sure nothing bad is getting through. Most hosts off er good quality form-processing programs or check with your web developer to make sure secure form processing is being used.
If you have any custom programming done, ask the developer about the security of the coding—If it’s a complex program, you might want to have a third party check it over for vulnerabilities. These are some of the main ways you can help keep your website secure.
By choosing a reliable host and using reliable soft ware, you know that the programmers are doing their best to keep up with many other issues of web security that helps to protect your website.
If you have any queries about security of your web hosting provider or content security issues feel free to comment here.