CMS Security: How to Keep Your Website Safe

With the inclination in the number of websites present on the Internet, the threat to security has also increased over the years. It has become relatively easy to build websites, yet it isn't easy to maintain the appropriate security levels. CMS is an important aspect of a web project that helps in the growth with time. Therefore, it is important to know about security tips to protect your CMS from hackers.

Amidst the number of threats present in the cyber world, it is important to have a proactive approach in your organization to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. A good set of practical and better practices can help to maintain a better security system within the organization.

Threats to a CMS

High-profile organizations face the issue of hacking now and then, and they are aware of the impact and damage mitigation. Here are some of the security threats associated with the use of a CMS:

1. Altering Parameters or Settings

Hackers these days fill in the malicious SQL statements into the form fields to alter the parameters. This kind of attack is known as SQL Injection and can result in massive losses.

2. Compromising User Data

User data is the organization's topmost priority, and the hackers know this well. Varied malicious applications are used to get access to the databases to recover passwords and very personal user information.

3. Injecting Code

Code Injection can have a severe impact as the entire server can be taken down through this measure by the hackers as the data becomes corrupt or the organization faces the problem of data loss which reduces the user trust over time.

4. Vulnerabilities in Code

It is the most infamous measure utilized by hackers to exploit the vulnerabilities present in the website. It is seen in most cases that even the most secure websites were affected due to the vulnerabilities present in the source code. Paying attention to this aspect can ease your work during later stages.

Security Solutions for a CMS

With the increase in the number of attacks throughout the world, it is now the owners' responsibility to maintain their website in a safe position. Small businesses should not come up with the mindset that they cannot be the target of the attackers; they should also keep themselves prepared and make sure that they provide a safe online experience to their users.

Let's dive in and understand the same with the help of a CMS security guide that can help you to make your system more secure and trustworthy.

1. Using the Latest Stable Versions

Website security is tricky. There is a need for continuous monitoring and updates as it is vital for the health of the entire website. It is generally seen that the websites that are not updated regularly are the most common prey of the attackers. It is the responsibility of an organization to maintain a system in which all the software and plugin update requests are attended to regularly. The website should be checked continuously for any updates as the outdated software has a high chance of getting hacked by potential attackers or bots.

2. Adding HTTPS and an SSL certificate

A secure website connection is important to maintain website security. It is generally seen that the site visitors share personal information with the organization for which HTTPS is employed instead of HTTP. Put simply, HTTPS = HTTP + SSL. Secure Socket Layer or SSL is a digital protocol that ensures a safe communication channel for confidential information to be exchanged between the web browser and the client-server.

These certificates are present at pocket-friendly rates in the market and are largely utilized by multimillion organizations to protect themselves in the cyber world.

If budget is a concern, you can invest in a cost-effective SSL Certificate like RapidSSL, GeoTrust SSL, Thawte SSL, etc. that offers top-class encryption features to protect the website and the transactions made through the virtual network. It also follows the standard security protocol and keeps the transactions completely safe and secure. These certificates are trusted by the users and are popular worldwide for their competitive rates.

3. Using Strong Passwords

On one hand, where the number of websites hacked per minute is increasing with each passing day, the importance of passwords has increased ever since. It is recommended to use strong, unique passwords. It is usually seen that the users use the same password on different platforms.

This is not an advisable practice, as you should create unique passwords to remain safe in the cyber world. Passwords should be created using alphanumeric credentials. They should not be easy to guess. A password manager can be used that can choose a unique password to keep you safe and sound.

4. Taking Regular Backups

In order to create a safe website, it is very important to have a great backup solution. During an emergency, every organization should create a strong backup that comes up as a helping hand in case of any security accident. It prevents the organization from crumbling by providing an easy solution to recover the damaged files. It is really important to create both online and offline backups both online and offline to provide great protection in case of attacks and failures. Cloud backup is also a great alternative in which one can store the data easily and access it from any part of the world. Automatic backups can also be utilized for reliable recovery and trustworthy progress.

5. Securing Web Host

It is the responsibility of the host to provide security features to protect the website data to a large extent. In this way, it is important to choose the host in a very thoughtful manner. Among all the organisms that are present, for you, it is important to thoroughly understand the security features offered by each one of them. It is important to look for the secure file transfer protocol and the kind of backup services the web host provides.

6. Modifying Default Settings

Hackers execute entirely automated attacks in the present times and cause harm to the website. Once you choose your CMS, it is important to modify the default settings at this moment. The change in these settings largely impacts the rate of attacks. Aspects like user visibility, granting permission, and control in the comments are a part of this process. Therefore, there is an urgent need to customize the users and grant permissions accordingly. It is usually seen that the organizations which do not work on the default settings of the CMS fall prey to these attacks at some point or the other.

7. Installing Security Plugins

Despite all the security, an additional layer of security can serve as the backbone. Configuring the servers provides an excellent layer of security, but it requires a high level of skill to secure servers appropriately. It is easier to use an extension or a plugin to configure the server and add that extra layer of security to the CMS. It is desirable to use the plug-in features carefully, otherwise, it can also pose security-related issues later. It is also important to update the plugins periodically to eliminate security-related risks.

8. Configuring Firewall for Security

To prevent hackers from getting into your system, you can stop them at the initial stage, i.e. the CMS boundary. It is important to check the pattern of the connections that need to use your CMS and those who do not require it should be followed closely. A firewall has its own set of benefits as it keeps all the suspicious activities on the edge and does not allow the bots to go through your system. In addition, it will give a certain pace to your workflow by enabling filtration as required.

9. Configuring Server for Security

Besides the measures mentioned above, it is important to know the webserver configuration files well. One can take the help of the required web directory for this step. It is important as it serves as the pillar to implement the rules of the server.

Conclusion

Most organizations now have a clear idea about the number of bots or hacking attempts trying to get into the system. It is thereby important to not just look at these weblogs but to actively participate in the security of the CMS. It is important to gather more and more information about the entire hacking process and the severe impact that it can pose. But it is even more important to work on the part of mitigation.

As a webmaster or owner of the business, it is your responsibility that you should continuously put effort towards your website. The businesses that created the websites and nearly forgot them either went through security issues or distrust within the users. It completely reflects in the growth rate and turnover of the business. That is why it is important to play a proactive role in the growth of your security by providing utmost importance to customer data.

Strapi is one such CMS that keeps security at its heart. If you are looking forward to implementing a CMS, you can learn about Strapi security by building a secure app with Strapi, Nuxt.js and Magic.