Skip the Halftime Show if you choose, But Not Website Security
This year’s Super Bowl halftime show with Kendrick Lamar might not have been quite your thing. Maybe you instead opted to use that time to grab another plate of food, run a quick errand, go for a walk and stretch your legs, or even change the channel. That’s the real beauty and joy of choice—we get to choose what we want to engage with.
There’s one area, however, where choice no longer exists: website security. It is not optional. It is not a choice. There is no changing the channel or going for another plate of food. It is not even something that can be about later. It’s mandatory. Now. Today. Immediately.
The Constant and Rising Threat of Cyber Attacks
Cyber threats are constantly evolving and never ending. Website (WordPress site or not) attacks are increasing year after year both in frequency and severity. Hackers are opportunistic and don’t discriminate—they will gladly target businesses of any size or geographic location. Whether you run a small local shop or a huge online store, your website is a potential target for attack. The most common types of attacks include brute force attacks, with hackers trying millions of username and password combinations per second to break into your website, using malware injections that infect malicious code into your website, and DDoS attacks that flood your site with traffic until the website crashes. Data breaches are another major threat, with hackers exposing private and sensitive customer information that can be sold on the dark web.
Ignoring website security and hoping for the best isn’t an option because the risks are simply too devastating. A successful attack will lead to everything from financial losses to a damaged reputation and even legal consequences. Recovering from a cyberattack to your website is much more difficult, time consuming, and costly than preventing it in the first place.
Strong Passwords Are Just the Beginning
Don’t get me wrong-weak passwords are a starting point for countless website attacks. The first (of many) line of defense is using a strong password. Using strong and unique passwords is the first step, but it’s far from the last or even enough. Even the best and most unique and complex passwords can be compromised. Attacks often happen through outdated software, vulnerabilities in poor or dated plugins, or unprotected login pages and forms. Hackers are constantly creating and developing new techniques to break into and attack websites and businesses, so only having a strong password is like locking the front door to your house while leaving the windows wide open at the same time.
Because of this, additional security protections are necessary. Hoping and praying that a strong password will keep you safe is not an effective strategy—it’s a gamble that you’ll lose.
Free Security Plugins: A Good Start, But Not Enough
On a WordPress website, free security plugins such as All In One Security can help secure your site by offering basic or entry level security protocols. These plugins help by limiting login attempts to help stop brute force attacks, forcing the use of strong passwords, and implementing very basic firewalls. These plugins and features will provide some level of security for your website and are better than nothing, but they aren’t enough to secure your site against the constantly changing and more sophisticated attacks.
Hackers aren’t a one trick pony only relying on guessing passwords. They find and attack any vulnerability in outdated software, add malicious scripts to websites, and use bots to scan for these and any other weaknesses. These basic or entry level security plugins can only do so much. That is why more advanced protection is needed.
Astra Firewall & Malware Protection is the Gold Standard
To really protect your website, you will need a firewall and malware protection. For this you’ll need a tool like Astra Security. Astra offers a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that stops harmful traffic before it reaches your website. Astra provides real-time malware scanning to find and quickly remove malicious code or threats before their damage is done. Astra also includes login protection and security audits that help to ensure that any vulnerabilities are found and addressed before hackers can take advantage of them. All of these advanced protections are a mighty shield that is always working to keep your website safe. What is also great is that Astra prevents both automated attacks and targeted attacks.
A good website security solution won’t just react to threats—it will be working actively to prevent the attacks from happening. A secure firewall can stop attacks before they reach your website, and the malware scanning makes sure that even if something does get by that it gets caught, trapped, and removed right away.
Website Security is Non-Negotiable
Security isn’t something to consider—it needs to be implemented now. If your website is hacked, recovery is expensive and very time-consuming. If customer data is compromised or stolen, consumer trust in your business is lost, and legal actions can follow. If your website is blacklisted by Google because of malware, your search engine rankings can plummet (and getting back onto Google’s good side isn’t easy.
Taking steps and measures today prevents bigger problems tomorrow. Website security is not something to decide on. The risks are far too great, and the consequences are far too severe. Watching the Super Bowl Halftime show was a choice, website security isn’t a choice.
Speaking of halftime shows – who should next year’s halftime performer be? My vote – Weird Al Yankovic. That would be a classic.
