Website security is of the most importance – especially when it comes to business websites that deal with money and store sensitive user data. A compromised website can not only expose your customers’ data to potential threats but also damage your company reputation.
As a business owner, you should not take website security lightly. Constant checks through security tools and testing methods must be performed so that you are always ahead of any potential breaches and weak spots.
There are different ways to optimal website security – here are the best tools and testing methods you should be considering to check website security.
Website Testing Methods
Website testing methods are also called website penetration testing. For this, you should hire ethical hackers – trained professionals who will test the website security. They will find any weak spots of the website and test them to ensure the website is strong against potential attacks.
The security tests these professionals will conduct will include:
Application Login Testing – this is one of the most important parts of your website, which if compromised, can expose user information.
Contact Form Testing – one more critical area that needs to be tested. A lot of businesses do not perform proper tests to contact forms as they do not seem that important compared to other website areas. But this approach is not right and can lead to exposure to threats and security attacks.
Credential Encryption Testing – through this testing you will ensure that the credential encryption process is working properly and there is no danger that user credentials will be compromised because they are not transferred safely over the internet.
User Session Testing – this test will focus on whether the session is terminated right after users log out, after prolonged inactivity, and so on.
Testing Against Popular Attacks – the team of ethical hackers you have hired will simulate website attacks and see how your website handles them. According to the results, they will advise you what is the best approach to improve website security.
Access Permission Testing – this test will check if the access permission is as it should be and only the webmaster have full access.
Website Security Tools
Through the testing methods, you will be able to understand the potential weak areas of your website and how to optimize the website security. In addition, there are other ways that you can use. With the help of these security tools, you can easily test the website security and find any potential threats that might exist.
When choosing website security tools, make sure that you choose the best and most reliable one. Look for features such as:
Daily Malware Scanning – you should receive immediate notification if a virus or malware is discovered.
Blacklist Monitoring – through performing blacklist monitoring, you will make sure that your website maintains a good online reputation and is not being blacklisted by search engines. Again, you should receive a notification, in case your website has been blacklisted.
PCI Compliance Scanning – if you are an online merchant, it is important that your website is complying with PCI standards.
Trust Seal – this will communicate to your visitors that your website is verified, secured, and safe to use.
