As consumers demand more and more businesses have a well established online presence, the need for better website cyber security has come along with it. Even small and medium-sized companies and organisations must be able to maintain proper web security despite not having the same resources or technical know-how as much larger businesses that get hacked seemingly every week. Unfortunately, they aren’t just stopping at larger organisations. In fact, according to a report from Verizon in 2019, 43% of data breaches impacted small business owners. According to security experts at SiteLock, the average website is attacked a whopping 44 times per day. As you can see, even small and medium-sized businesses need to be just as proactive about stopping these attacks before they happen. Below, we will be going over why you need to consistently maintain your site and the risks associated with not doing so correctly.
Why You Need To Maintain Your Site:
- More Hackers
The fact is, the number of attacks and hacks on websites is continually increasing. These attacks typically look to take advantage of potential operating system flaws, browser exploits, or something else. They do this by infecting websites to gain access to unsuspecting users. By keeping your website regularly updated and maintained, you will have a lesser chance of becoming one of the many infected sites that spreads malware and viruses.
- It’s Cheaper
Maintaining your site and preventing your site from website cyber security risks is much cheaper than the alternative option. If you avoid website maintenance and allow your site to be compromised, you will have a tall task on your hands that can prove to be very costly. Not only will you have to worry about cleaning up the mess by hiring a professional to handle it for you, but you will have to spend a lot of time, energy, and money repairing your reputation. Some businesses fail to ever recover their reputation after a website cyber security breach. Therefore, it is always going to be a better idea and much cheaper to avoid putting yourself in a position where you need to in the first place.
- Your Website Can Get Blacklisted
The fact is, no search engine provider wants to send traffic and its users to infected websites. Because of this, if your site gets infected or in any way compromised, you risk getting your website delisted or blacklisted. You might notice certain websites that bring up a warning message which indicates that the site may harm your computer. If your website visitors see this message, they will likely hit “back” and go to one of your competitors.
Engaging a certified WordPress developer to take care of your site will help you avoid these issues. Important yet time-consuming tasks like updating WordPress itself, your theme, and updating plugins can do a lot to help you avoid a website cyber security attack. The attacks typically look for back doors and ways to exploit WordPress versions, themes, or plugins that have not been updated.
Risk Of Cyber Attacks:
- Breach of Data
One of the worst things that can happen in the event of a website cyber security attack would be your customer’s data getting stolen. If you leak your customer’s details and information, it will be plastered all over the Internet. This can be a sure way to lose consumer trust in your website and brand, as a whole. Your customers have entrusted you with their data. Therefore, you should be actively taking steps to protect it.
- Website Down
Another big thing that can happen to a hacked website is your site could get shut down for the foreseeable future. Hackers might take your website down, which is going to be terrible news for any business or charity as your website won’t be up to bring in traffic, leads, or customers.
- Hacked
The hackers may even overtake control of your website, allowing them to do with it as they please. They could do this and demand a ransom, or they could post and publish offensive things, causing a public relations nightmare.
As you can see, there are many reasons you need to invest in website cyber security. Here at Brisbane Web Design Agency, we offer comprehensive monthly care plans for our clients. We take care of ensuring your website is updated and secured at all times to minimise the chances of becoming one of the many victims of a cyber attack. Contact us today, and we will be able to help.
Summary
Working out where your time and money is best spent is important for all business owners and charity leaders. Websites are the face of your business and a critical part of people’s decision-making process. Maintaining your website cyber security and general performance is a crucial element for customer experience and consumer confidence in your business or organisation. If you do not have the time, know how or desire to manage these tasks we would love to help you. Contact our Brisbane Web Design Agency today.
