To secure a website effectively, some of the key measures include:
- Installing a firewall with bot protection to block malicious requests before they reach the website server.
- Scanning the website daily for malware to detect and remove infections early.
- Obtaining and implementing an SSL certificate to encrypt data transmitted between users and the website, upgrading your site to HTTPS.
- Keeping all software, themes, and plugins up to date to patch security vulnerabilities.
- Limiting login attempts and using multi-factor authentication to prevent brute force attacks.
- Setting strong file permissions and blocking execution of unauthorized scripts in critical directories.
- Implementing security headers to mitigate certain types of web attacks.
- Using a reputable and secure web hosting service.
- Regularly backing up your website data and having a recovery plan.
- Using strong passwords and changing security keys or salts periodically.
Additional steps for securing administrative access include using CAPTCHA or alternatives like Cloudflare Turnstile and adopting zero-trust access practices, which require continuous verification of identity rather than relying solely on passwords. These comprehensive strategies are designed to protect websites from common threats like hacking, malware, data interception, and unauthorized access, while balancing security with usability.
