Why Would Anyone Want To Hack A Website?
We all can guess why a hacker would be interested in hacking into a big corporation, but why would they even bother with a small business? You may be relieved to know that it is not you they are after. Sites are usually hacked in bulk by paid freelance workers who get paid to steal information. Many hackers use bots to search website with outdated plugins, WordPress software, or patches. Once the bot finds your vulnerable website, then you will get hacked. Sometimes the hacker will install malicious software or s/he could demand a reward for return of information or worse. But, there still is one more type of hacker…the one who is simply practicing. Practice does make perfect, so they start with the easy stuff to prepare for the big ones. Learn more about WordPress Security Best Practices – HERE.
What Happened? How Did Your Website Get Hacked?
- Passwords and Username – The evil hacking algorithms are working with probabilities. The easier or more common the username and password, the more likely it is for your website to get hacked. Learn more about passwords best practices – HERE.
- Outdated Software – After your website has been created, this is not the end of the website. Your website is not a book to just leave on the shelf to get dusty. You must take care of it and manage it like you would take care of a house or a car. You must perform regular maintenance on the site like software updates. Without these updates, the website can loose functionality, break and can even get hacked. Learn more about updating WordPress – HERE.
- Brute Force – Brute Force hacking techniques use an algorithm that basically guesses as many username and password combinations until one works. Learn more about these bad bots – HERE.
What Should You Do If You’ve Been Hacked?
If you know that your website has been hacked or if you even suspect it, do not dilly-dally – Move quickly! If your website has been hacked, you can loose money for loss of sales, harm your google ranking, and you could even harm other users. Contact your host or your website designer. They may be able to help fix your hacking problem more quickly. Many times they can pinpoint what software was compromised or what password was the wink link. If the site cannot be fixed in a reasonable amount of time to reduce the harm, you can even shut the site down and put up a temporary page. Check to see if your website was blacklisted. If you were, get in touch with your support team to get it removed quickly.
Conclusion
Anyone can get hacked, but it is important to follow a couple of our tips to limit your exposure to hackers. Good, strong passwords and updated software are some of the best ways to prevent your website from being hacked. If you want Planetguide.com to take a closer look at your website, we can give you a complete analysis on the security of your site and how we can help with your security and website maintenance. Call us today at 504-888-5384.
