Seven Vital Tools and Policies for Better Website Security
Despite all the high profile security breaches that have made the news as of late, a large number of website owners are still leaving their sites vulnerable to attack. In fact, Web Hat, a web application scanning vendor, recently reported that 63% of all websites have a critical or urgent security issue. The increasing number of victims prove that these threats are real. Therefore, website administrators and security teams are encouraged to utilize several mechanisms to ensure website security.
1.) Vulnerability Scanning
A vulnerability scanner is a tool that scans a website for known vulnerabilities. The returned feedback can provide maintenance teams and administrators with the knowledge they need to tighten up web applications, firewalls and other areas to secure the health of a website. If you run a high-traffic e-commerce site, a vulnerability scanner is certainly a tool you need to put to use.
2.) Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is quite similar to vulnerability scanning as it can help determine the weakness in everything from browser scripts to application code. Security experts recommend that all consumer orientated sites pass penetration testing before production deployment.
3.) Web Application Firewalls
A web application firewall is a device that resides in the data path between client browser and web server. Its purpose is to analyze HTTP traffic, prevent attacks and data leakage. Although a web application can be very effective at blocking attacks, it needs fine tuning and every now and then to remain in sync with the web application. Because of this, not all websites require the expense of such a security mechanism.
4.) Browser Security Tools
Most of today’s popular web browsers are equipped with features designed to minimize the risk of exploits such as XSS attacks. You should advise your end-users running Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 to enable the built-in XSS filter and those using Mozilla FireFox to install the equivalent XSS Me add-on.
5.) Application Whitelists
For an added means of security, administrators can document the configuration of approved applications through application whitelists. Implementing such a policy can detect and prevent unauthorized changes to the server environment.
6.) Do What You Can
There is a great chance that your budget will not be enough to apply all the security mechanisms and policies listed above. If this is the case, prioritize and choose the features that are easy to afford, implement and most importantly, provide you with an adequate level of security. For example, if you invested in a quality penetration testing solution, you may be able to get by without vulnerability scanning.
7.) Pray for a Little Good Luck
Even if you can afford to apply all the security tips mentioned in this article, you should assume that your website is vulnerable and can be exploited at any given minute. With this type of mentality, you should always have processes in place to detect various attacks along with a plan that minimizes the damage and allows you to bounce back quickly. On top of that, a little bit of luck can go a long way in keeping your site protected from the cyber goons.
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