Any Internet website or online application—whether it’s an online banking website handling millions of dollars in transactions per day or an online storefront for a small neighbourhood business—can be victimized by malicious attacks and Internet security issues. Hackers used to target their victims according to vulnerability and not size or fame. Smaller systems, in fact, those that may hold no sensitive data, can be the most probable targets as they are easier to intercept, especially if they’re not supported by secure solutions like SSD web hosting, which offers unmatched speed and security.
Think of website security as a flexible shield around your server and site—its strength depends on the measures you take. A more efficient way to view each cybersecurity measure is as an additional layer of security. Each layer you integrate keeps your website protected. It may sound unusual, but the best method for securing a website is to assume that each security layer may fail. Two-factor authentication, for instance, contains a verification shield that assumes main password may get breached; even websites with the cheapest web hosting per year should make such actionable measures for high-end security.
However, what exactly is a security threat?
What is a Security Threat?
A security threat is any potential risk of insecurity on your website that hackers can use to harm your website data or business. This consists of loopholes in the servers and the software that connect your website to users and drive your business operations. It’s crucial to tackle web security issues proactively and implement safeguards, as attempts to exploit vulnerabilities are bound to happen. Below are the most common security threats and a few preventive measures you can take to secure your data, business, and personal security.
1. Ransomware Attack
The fundamental purpose of a ransomware attack is to acquire complete command over your confidential data. The hacker encrypts and takes your data hostage and then asks you to pay a ransom for the decryption key you need to open up the files. The attacker even downloads and threatens to spread the sensitive data if you do not agree to pay within a timeframe. Ransomware attacks can often make headlines, indicating their growing frequency.
Preventive Measures
The best way to protect against a ransomware attack is to deploy a reliable and periodic backup of essential information in a secure place. The attacker gains less power with a good backup and recovery strategy, enabling you to remove and recover the compromised information. Periodic software updates and patching help prevent vulnerabilities exploited by ransomware. Security training for employees is also essential to prevent phishing attacks, as these attacks usually result from human mistakes.
2. DDoS Protection
DDoS attacks usually focus on overwhelming systems rather than breaking into them. They are used frequently with brute force attacks and other attack modes as a means of making log information less valuable in your analysis.
An attacker can target your security layer directly by flooding your website with more requests beyond what your website can manage. They might not even look at a complete page—just an individual image or script URL with countless numbers of simultaneous requests. Apart from the traffic surge making your website go down, a Layer 7 attack can clog systems with fraudulent transactions, leading to significant delays.
Preventive Measures
Mitigating such an attack is nearly impossible using traditional practices. There is typically no security vulnerability targeted. The requests aren’t harmful and are made to look like regular traffic. The broader the attack, the harder it is to identify genuine traffic from non-legitimate ones. The most impactful solution to manage all the traffic is by expanding available server and network resources to deal with the traffic surge until the attack neutralizes or can be segregated. You can also minimize the impact of DDoS attacks by using rate limiting or traffic filtering through CDN.
3. Code Injection (Remote Code Execution)
When aiming for a code injection, hackers look for spaces where your website processes user input—like search bars, or any field that takes data. Next, by trial and error, the invaders test different inputs to see how the system responds.
To illustrate, if your website’s search field inserts conditions into a database query, they will try to inject other database code. Or, if your code imports functions from external sources, they will try to control the locations and implant bad functions.
Preventive Measures
Apart from the server or network-level shields such as CloudFlare, prominent web hosting providers like MilesWeb offer ironclad security; it is also essential to mitigate this security concern during the development phase.
4. Data Breach
A data breach takes place when restricted information falls into the hands of someone who isn’t authorized to see it. They may not store your data; however, they can still access it and tamper with it.
Initially, you won’t even realize that a breach has occurred. Imagine an intruder quietly holding the keys to your admin account—yet to make a single move. The breach has already happened; the impact just hasn’t begun.
Preventive Measures
This web security problem is difficult to mitigate, as an attacker is typically making cautious moves to stay undercover. A lot of systems will display connection data from your last session on login. Pay attention to this data when available and monitor for any suspicious activities.
5. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Attack
JavaScript and other browser-side scripting techniques are popularly used to update page contents dynamically with external data like social media channels, real-time market data, or advertisements that generate revenue.
Hackers use XSS to exploit your clients by utilizing your website as a gateway to spread malware or unwanted ads. Consequently, your business’s reputation is destroyed, and you lose valuable clients’ trust.
Preventive Measures
Modify content security policies on your website to restrict source URLs of remote scripts and images to only your domain and any external URLs that are explicitly needed. This easy step can keep many XSS attacks from even taking place.
Clients of reputed web hosting providers like MilesWeb can also contact their live chat support team for assistance with proper configuration to avoid such attacks.
Conclusion
Website data breaches are not the matter of if, but when. Taking essential precautions and leaning towards a zero-trust mindset can prevent you from a lot of headaches about Internet security matters. Prepare a clear and tested recovery plan for worst-case scenarios like complete security failure.
MilesWeb has more than a decade of experience assisting clients in resolving web security issues and avoiding future attacks by securing their servers. Their VPS hosting, dedicated server hosting, and cloud servers are all pre-installed with fundamental security solutions—with the option to upgrade to advanced protections your needs expand, providing dependable assurance from start to scale.
