Best Practices for Small Businesses
Clients frequently ask us about best practices when it comes to website security. As a small business ourselves, we also worry about this issue and the best ways to be proactive. Throughout the 20+ years we’ve been doing web design and development, we’ve researched, tested and implemented various tools and techniques that address website security concerns - both for clients and for ourselves.
The recent Microsoft outage, which was linked to a CrowdStrike security update and affected critical institutions worldwide, further underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity practices, especially for small businesses. Despite not being caused by a malicious attack, this incident is a reminder of how interconnected and vulnerable modern digital infrastructure can be. At Werkbot, we’ve always emphasized that web security is not optional.
Security breaches of any kind can bring financial losses, reputational damage, and diminished customer trust. Our entire ethos centers around customer trust; it’s critical for us to understand what vulnerabilities exist, as well as the tools/resources available to prevent issues from arising.
“Web security is not just a feature; it's a fundamental necessity. As developers, our role is to safeguard user data and maintain trust by implementing robust security measures. In an age where cyber threats are constantly evolving, proactive and comprehensive web security practices are crucial to protect our applications and users.” - Jay Richardson, Werkbot Lead Developer/Co-Owner
It might seem like a daunting task, but it’s not impossible to follow web security best practices. To help you, we’ve put together a list of common web security issues and solutions, as well as a list of tools/methods we use at Werkbot.
Common Web Security Vulnerabilities
Understanding the most common security threats is the first step in protecting your website. Here are some of the most prevalent vulnerabilities and how they work:
SQL Injection
- Attackers exploit vulnerabilities in web applications to execute arbitrary SQL code.
- This can result in unauthorized access to your database, leading to data theft or corruption.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
- Malicious scripts are injected into web pages viewed by other users.
- These scripts can steal session cookies, deface websites, or redirect users to malicious sites.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
- Attackers trick users into performing actions on websites where they are authenticated.
- This can result in unauthorized actions being executed on behalf of the user.
Broken Authentication and Session Management
- Weaknesses in authentication or session management can allow attackers to compromise passwords, keys, or session tokens.
- This leads to unauthorized access to user accounts and sensitive information.
Security Misconfiguration
- Incorrectly configured security settings can expose vulnerabilities.
- This includes using default passwords, exposing error messages, and improperly setting up access controls.
Insecure Direct Object References
- Exposing internal implementation objects like files, directories, or database keys.
- Attackers can manipulate these references to access unauthorized data.
Best Practices for Safeguarding Your Website
Being aware of common vulnerabilities is the first step. The second step is understanding and implementing best practices to protect your website. Here are some things we do to ensure our clients (and Werkbot) are protected.
Website Security
- Content Security Policy (CSP): We implement strict CSPs to prevent a wide range of attacks, including Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and data injection attacks, by controlling the sources from which content can be loaded.
- Optional Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for Admin Login: Adding an extra layer of security, we offer 2FA for admin logins to protect your website from unauthorized access.
- Regular Backups: We conduct regular backups to ensure that your data can be quickly restored in the event of a security breach or data loss.
- Keep Software Updated: We regularly update web servers, CMS platforms, plugins, and other software. We also apply security patches as soon as they are released.
Server-Side Security
- Advanced Firewall Protection: Our advanced firewall solutions provide robust protection against various threats, preventing unauthorized access and attacks on your server.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules: We employ ModSecurity rules based on real-world data, as well as generic Apache and PHP rules, to protect against common web application attacks.
- SSL/TLS Certificates: We protect your servers with SSL/TLS certificates from trusted authorities, ensuring that all data transmitted between your server and clients is encrypted and secure.
- Intrusion Prevention Software: Our intrusion prevention software continuously monitors your servers to detect and prevent unauthorized access and malicious activities.
- Malware Scanner: We utilize advanced malware scanning tools to detect and remove malware from your servers, keeping your system clean and secure.
- Validate and Sanitize User Inputs: Use input validation to ensure data entered by users conforms to expected formats Sanitize inputs to prevent malicious data from causing harm.
Tools We Use
We utilize a variety of tools to address web vulnerabilities and security. We also implement them for clients who require enhanced security measures. These include:
- Cloudflare: We leverage Cloudflare's comprehensive security solutions, including DDoS protection, firewall rules, and bot management, to safeguard web assets.
- Detectify: Detectify provides access to an automated online vulnerability scanner that helps us stay on top of threats. It works closely with the ethical hacking community to turn the latest security findings into vulnerability tests.
- 360 Monitoring: We use 360 Monitoring for its comprehensive website and server monitoring. Features include uptime and performance monitoring, server health checks, and blocklist monitoring.
- Armor: Armor is perfect for clients who require a higher level of security. This tool enhances existing cybersecurity measures and continuously assesses vulnerabilities.
- Plesk: A web hosting and server management platform, Plesk enhances website security through features like firewall management, Fail2Ban integration, SSL/TLS certificates, web application firewalls, security scanning, and automatic patching.
- Sentry.io: We use Sentry.io for performance monitoring and error tracking. It helps identify, debug and resolve errors, provides detailed context about issues, and integrates with other tools we use, including Slack and Teamwork.
Integrating various security measures like these helps protect your digital presence - but it requires continuous vigilance and adaptation.
Security is not a one-time task but a continuous effort.
As new technologies emerge, so do new vulnerabilities, requiring ongoing updates and improvements to security measures. Other factors include:
- Advanced Technology: Cyber attackers continually develop more sophisticated methods to exploit weaknesses, forcing businesses to stay vigilant and proactive.
- Complexity of Modern Web Applications: The increasing complexity of web applications, including the use of third-party libraries and APIs, introduces more potential vulnerabilities.
- Human Factor: User behavior, such as falling for phishing attacks or using weak passwords, remains a significant vulnerability.
- Economic Incentives for Attackers: Cybercrime is highly lucrative, motivating attackers to develop new methods and tools.
- Global Scale and Diversity: The global and diverse nature of the web makes it difficult to enforce uniform security standards and practices.
- Resource Constraints: Many organizations lack the resources to implement and maintain robust security measures.
Understand the threats and how they work. Be proactive in your approach to implementing web security best practices. Stay abreast of trends and emerging security issues in order to meet them head-on.
With the right measures in place, you can safeguard your business and your customers' data.
Need help? Feel free to get in touch with us and we’d be happy to help in any way we can.