Website Security Definition & How to Keep Your Site Protected

Website security is the ongoing practice of protecting your website, its visitors, and the data it processes from unauthorized access, malware, attacks, and downtime. It combines technical safeguards like SSL/TLS certificates, web application firewalls, and vulnerability scans, with regular maintenance such as software updates, backups, and proactive monitoring. Every website, big or small, needs these protections because cyber threats evolve constantly, and even basic sites are targets.

Fortunately, most attacks are preventable. We’ll explain what’s included in an effective website security strategy and the steps you can take to keep your site safe from emerging online threats.

What is website security?

Website security is the practice of protecting your website, its data, and its visitors from cyber threats and unauthorized access. It involves any action taken or application put in place to ensure that data is not exposed to cybercriminals and to prevent exploitation of the website in any way. These measures help safeguard sensitive data, hardware, and software within a website from the many types of attacks that exist today.

Examples of common website security threats

Implementing strong security solutions will help shield your site from the following common threats:

• DDoS attacks. Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks can slow or crash your site entirely, removing all functionality and making it inaccessible to visitors.
• Malware. Short for “malicious software,” malware is a very common threat used to steal sensitive customer data, distribute spam, allow cybercriminals to access your site, and more.
• Injection attacks. This type of attack involves inserting malicious code or commands into an application's input fields to manipulate its behavior or access unauthorized data. SQL injection (SQLi) and cross-site scripting (XSS) are the most common.
• Blacklisting. This can occur when search engines detect malware on your site, causing it to be removed from search results or flagged with a warning that turns visitors away.
• Vulnerability exploits. Cybercriminals can access a site and the data stored on it by exploiting weak areas within the site, like an outdated WordPress plugin.
• Defacement. This attack replaces your website’s content with a cybercriminal’s malicious content.

Risks website security helps prevent

When a site isn’t properly secured, visitors can become targets too. Here are some of the most common risks that strong website security helps prevent:

• Stolen data. From email addresses to payment information, hackers frequently go after visitor or customer data stored on a site.
• Phishing schemes. Phishing doesn’t just happen in emails. Some attacks take the form of web pages that look legitimate but are designed to trick the user into providing sensitive information.
• Session hijacking. Some cyberattacks can take over a user’s session and force them to take unwanted actions on a site.
• Malicious redirects. Certain attacks can redirect visitors from the site they intended to visit to a malicious website.
• SEO Spam. Unusual links, pages, and comments can be put on a site to confuse your visitors and drive traffic to malicious sites.

Why do businesses need to invest in cybersecurity?

Every business website, no matter its size or industry, is a potential target for cybercriminals. Investing in strong website security isn’t just about preventing attacks; it’s about protecting your revenue, reputation, and customer trust. Here’s why it matters:

Website owners, not hosting providers, are responsible for their site’s security

Hosting providers protect the server your website lives on, not the site itself. Think of the website-host relationship like an apartment building: management keeps the property safe overall, but each occupant is responsible for locking their own door. Without proper website-level security, your site remains vulnerable even on a secure server.

Avoid costly cyberattacks

Website protection is far less expensive than the cost of downtime that results from an attack. Cyberattacks can cost SMB $25k annually on average, while a full website security plan averages just $1–2 per day for SiteLock customers. Prevention always costs less than recovery.

Protect brand reputation

A single data breach can permanently damage customer trust. An estimated one in four Americans will stop doing business with a company that has experienced a data breach. That’s a devastating number of customers to lose for both large and small businesses.

Detect malicious activity before it becomes a problem

Many attacks are invisible at first. Malware can quietly infect your website, allowing hackers to access data or hijack traffic without your knowledge.

One type of threat that may go unnoticed is a backdoor attack, a type of malware that allows someone to access a site without the owner’s knowledge. Another is cryptojacking, which mines a site for cryptocurrency without showing any symptoms. These types are increasingly common: in 2022, 32% of infected websites had a backdoor attack, and cryptojacking continues to rise in popularity, increasing 23% in the first half of 2021 compared to the previous year.

Once a hacker secretly enters your website, they can access your data, steal traffic, deploy phishing schemes, and more without you even noticing. Continuous site scanning and automated malware removal help you catch and resolve these threats before they become an issue.

What do I need to keep my website secure?

Whether you’re launching a new business website or improving an existing one, there are several security measures every site should have in place.

Login authentication

Strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) are crucial for protecting personal and sensitive information in today's digital landscape. Strong passwords, consisting of a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, can make it harder for hackers to crack into users’ accounts.

MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification, such as a password combined with a fingerprint scan or a unique code sent to a mobile device. This additional step significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access, even if a password is compromised.

SSL certificate

SSL/TLS certificates encrypt the sensitive data your website collects, such as emails, addresses, and credit card numbers, while it’s being transmitted between your site and the web server.

This is a basic website security measure, but it’s so important that browsers and search engines flag sites without an SSL certificate as “insecure,” which has a negative impact on rankings and can discourage visitors.

Depending on the functionality of your site and the types of information it processes (e.g., eCommerce, financial, etc.), choose an SSL certificate validation level that best fits your business needs.

Remember that SSLs only protect data in transit, so you’ll need to take further steps for a fully secure website.

Web application firewall (WAF)

A WAF prevents hackers from installing malicious code onto a site and stops automated attacks that commonly target small or lesser-known brands. These attacks are carried out by malicious bots that automatically look for vulnerabilities they can exploit or cause DDoS attacks that slow or crash your website.

Website scanner

The longer a cyberattack goes undetected, the more damage it can cause. A website scanner automatically checks for malware, vulnerabilities, and other security issues, and then works to remove them immediately or flags them so you can mitigate them appropriately.

SiteLock’s website scanning solutions not only deploy fixes to remove known malware, but they also look for cyber threats daily. They provide real-time alerts the moment anything is found, minimizing potential damage and downtime.

Content delivery network (CDN)

A CDN improves website performance by distributing content across multiple servers around the world, allowing users to access your site from the one closest to them. CDNs also strengthen security by providing DDoS protection and mitigating high-traffic attacks, helping your site remain fast and accessible even under pressure.

Software updates

Websites hosted on a content management system (CMS) are at a higher risk of compromise due to vulnerabilities and security issues often found in third-party plugins and applications. These can be prevented by installing updates to plugins and core software quickly, as these updates often contain security patches. An automatic patching solution makes this even easier.

While CMS security plugins can improve website security, they aren't always reliable due to potential vulnerabilities, compatibility issues, and the evolving nature of cyber threats, leaving websites susceptible to attacks even with their presence.

How SiteLock security tools can help

SiteLock provides website security tools that make protecting your site straightforward and reliable. Whether you’re preventing attacks or repairing existing damage, our automated solutions are designed to keep your site secure at all times.

All SiteLock website security plans include:

• Daily site scanning
• Automatic malware removal
• Daily backups
• Vulnerability detection
• 24/7 access to customer support

If your site's security has already been breached, SiteLock's hacked website repair services can locate and remove malware, restore your site, and get you back online quickly.