The Importance of Web Security
Web security is an important part of keeping a website safe and operating as it should. It involves deploying and monitoring technologies that prevent hacking, data theft and other malicious activities on your site. There are many painless things that can be done to thwart hackers, such as installing regular security patches, backing up data and setting up a WAF.
Cyber criminals are continually developing new and more sophisticated threats that outpace the security awareness and capabilities of most organizations and end users. As people become more reliant on the internet for communication, productivity and other daily tasks, attackers are increasingly finding ways to exploit vulnerabilities in websites and web applications.
Attackers can use web applications to eavesdrop on visitors, send them to fake websites, display false information or even hold a site hostage (ransomware). In addition, hackers can use techniques such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting to access critical data directly, or to reference externally hosted code inside a page to inject malicious functions onto the target computer.
A web application firewall (WAF) is a layer of software that monitors and filters HTTP traffic between the website and the Internet to block attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting. Other essential defenses include authentication and access control mechanisms, such as multifactor authentication and role-based authorization, which ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data and website features.
An SSL certificate is a must for any website that transfers visitor data, such as registration or login forms. An SSL certificate encrypts data to prevent others from intercepting it or reading it while in transit. Other key technologies for web security are a WAF, an antivirus software program and a proxy server that prevents DNS resolution of known bad hosts.
As the Internet grows more reliant on mobile devices, so too do the number of opportunities for attackers to exploit security vulnerabilities in websites and web applications. As a result, web security is becoming an ever-increasing priority for businesses of all sizes.
Web security is an ongoing process that includes continuously assessing and implementing new technologies to mitigate risks and threats, as well as responding quickly when they are detected. This approach helps reduce the likelihood of a security incident and its damaging effects, including damage to the brand, lost revenue, and legal penalties associated with violations of privacy and data protection laws. Whether you’re an enterprise with thousands of employees or a small business with just one employee, investing in good web security practices is an investment that will pay off in the long run.