Do's and Don'ts of Web Security

So, what are some of the easiest ways to secure your site from malicious breaches? A very good question, thank you for asking. 10pts for Gryffindor!           

First and foremost: proper passwords. In a nutshell, this means that you should try and create a phrase or word that you will remember but that is not too obvious or personally connected. Additionally it is critical that you include symbols, capital letters and numbers. As for length, the bare minimum should be at least 8 characters if not more. So for example, an unsatisfactory password might be “Stratagon1” while a superior version would be “StR4t@g()n1!”.

Proper user management is also critical to ensure the continued operation of your web presence. This is applicable to your Content Management System (CMS), such as Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla or ExpressionEngine as well as your server. Put succinctly, this entails ensuring that people are assigned roles and privileges that they need and nothing more. For instance, it would make no sense to assign Andrew the author as an administrator when all he will be doing is publishing articles on your Wordpress site. He does not need those powers and could be a potential security risk, especially if he doesn't adhere to the first section's guidelines concerning passwords.

Ultimately however, not updating software is really a big stickler for most websites out there. You can have the most secure passwords and best user management practice in the world, but if you simply let your CMS and its plugins idle on the same version for months or years at a time you are just begging for trouble. Always keep up to date on the latest releases and change logs for your web software, it is imperative to remember this. After all, your web presence is entirely reliant upon the software you use to manage and host it. It simply does not do to ignore it.

So what?  Keeping your website secure and running smoothly is an important part of a responsible online web presence.  Proper password, user, and software update management will go a long way in keeping your site secure.