2020 is certainly a year that most of us are looking forward to putting behind us.
Whilst as a majority we’re starting to relax knowing that life is beginning to resemble a little normality, it’s important not to take our feet off the accelerator altogether.
Research shows that right now, criminal cyberspace activity has never been more prevalent or elaborate. It appears ‘lockdown time’ has afforded criminals the breathing space required to come up with more sinister and inventive ways of accessing and taking control of personal and business information as well as sales data and tools. More and more businesses are either handing over personal details in what looks to be very legitimate correspondence or where online access is concerned, making their business vulnerable by not keeping their websites and plugins updated.
As some of you may be aware, WordPress (the software that runs your website) uses plugins (like apps on your smartphone) to manage the way your website presents information.
In the past two years, there has been a 300% increase in illegal website access equating to roughly 30,000 websites being hacked each day.
In nearly every circumstance, the website access was granted through a vulnerability identified in a plugin that is out of date and leaving a back door open to those willing to take over your website. With ransomware attacks growing in popularity (where your website is taken over but you need to pay a ransom to gain access to it again), now is the time to secure your website for the future.
We cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your website up to date.
This does not just apply to plugins. WordPress itself will have version updates, as well as themes. These are all important pieces that make your website run and look great. Not updating anything is like having your website’s arms tied behind its back. This, of course, does not mean updating is always the answer. Plugin developers are not flawless and this could impact your website when a plugin has a bug. Always roll back to avoid it when possible.
In the event that rolling back is not enough, then consider making backups of your website. Always keep your website functioning properly so that visitors are not hindered.
You must ask yourself:
- How many plugins do you update every week?
- Has using the rollback feature saved your website from a plugins bug?
- Have you ever needed to use a backup to restore your website?
Read More In Our Blog Post: 14 Ways To Keep Your Website Safe
If you would like our team of digital marketing experts to review your website security and update all your plugins to reduce the possibility of any unauthorised access to your site, then please get in touch with us today.
We’re here, ready and willing to help build a Rock Solid ‘cybercriminal proof’ website for your businesses’ continued success.