Due to the increased use of mobile devices, livelihoods are at stake due with the amount of personal information and data that is stored on them and for business owners with websites, this is even more of a concern. Nowadays, corners can’t afford to cut when it comes to online protection. Therefore, more and more tactics need to be put in place to prevent such disasters occurring.

The great news is that you don’t have to be a professional to keep yourself and your website protected, but, there are a number of techniques you should be using for optimum security.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

1. Use a good password

One of the fundamental steps to keep your website protected is to create a login in page and a password that cannot be easily hacked. A strong password should contain a variety of letters, numbers and special characters and with a length of between seven to ten characters. The complexity and length of your password makes it more and more difficult for a hacker to gain access to your website through complex algorithms or simply, guessing.

2. Keep your software up to date

You’ve probably ignored the pop-up box at the bottom of the screen on your device when a software update is needed, however, this is possibly one of the most harmful moves you can make when it comes to protecting your data. Software updates are a crucial form of security often contain important augmentations to ensure your device has the best possible chance of protection. Not only is security important for your PC, but also, your mobile device, where you’re likely to do business on-the-go. 

3. Penetration testing

One of the most effective methods of protecting your website from security hacking is with penetration testing. Although you may not be an expert in website security yourself, a highly trained team will teach you to strengthen your methods of defense and reveal your weaknesses. These ethical hacks will use similar techniques to real-life hackers and identify any vulnerabilities that could jeopardize not only your website, but also, your business. You can easily head online and find a penetration testing company today.

4. Use a private WIFI network

If you’re out and about and need access to the internet, be sure to connect to a VPN (Virtual Private Network) over a public Wi-Fi option. VPN’s allow your website and private data to be shared confidentially through the use of tunneling protocols and encryption techniques, to reduce the chances of a hacking scandal.

5. Phishing and malware

Over 150 million phishing emails are sent out every single day. For business owners who rely on emails to correspond with new customers, this is quite a worrying figure. According to researchers, phishers can trick online users into handing over a vast amount of personal information such as debit and credit card details, passwords and even user IDs for websites. To protect yourself from these types of threats, avoid from clicking on suspicious emails and links which may lead you to unknown websites and social media pages.