Celebrating our Freedom to a Safe and Accessible Internet

July 4, 2016 in Cybersecurity News

We celebrate Independence Day to honor the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As Americans, we have the right to freedom of religion, speech, press, and the Internet.

With access to a fast and affordable Internet, we have a wealth of information and opportunity at our fingertips. We can connect with loved ones, receive immediate news updates, learn and obtain degrees, participate in discussions, and build businesses. However, not all countries share the same privileges.

Restricted Internet Access in Communist Countries

About 57 percent of the world’s population does not have adequate access to the Internet. Affordability and language barriers are top impeding factors for those in developing countries. Countries like North Korea, China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and Iran highly restrict and censor the Internet. Journalists can even be arrested for discussing political, social or religious topics that do not align with the country’s values. Not only do these countries censor the Internet, but some of them also pose as top cybersecurity threats to the United States. North Korea and China consistently target the U.S. for cyberattacks.

Introducing the Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP)

President Obama has recognized cybersecurity as one of the most important challenges America faces today. The Obama Administration is working to implement a Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) that will enhance cybersecurity awareness and protection, protect privacy, and maintain economic and national security.

One of the CNAP initiatives is to empower Americans to take control of their online security. It promotes that we should secure our online accounts by moving beyond passwords and adding an extra layer of security. For those who run a business or blog online, this could mean implementing website security. With 86 percent of websites containing at least one serious vulnerability, it’s important for website owners to protect their sites from attacks.

Take Control of your Online Security

There are many resources available to website owners who want to provide more protection for their data and site visitors. A website scanner and web application firewall are effective ways to protect websites from attacks.

A website scanner is a tool used to detect website malware and vulnerabilities. Certain website scanners can run network scans by checking thousands of server ports to ensure the correct ports are open for the appropriate server type. Scanners can run daily file scans to identify malicious links in a site’s source code or applications. A scanner can also find the most common vulnerabilities, like SQL Injection (SQLi) and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).

A web application firewall (WAF) protects websites from malicious traffic and harmful requests. A WAF can protect website databases, block backdoor access to website files, patch web application weaknesses, and defend against spam.

We live in a country where we have the right to an open Internet, in which we can connect, communicate, write, read, learn, create, and build businesses. With this type of freedom, it is also our responsibility as a country to protect it.

If you’d like to learn more applying a website scanner or web application firewall to your website, give the SiteLock website security experts a call at 855.378.6200. We are available 24/7/365 to help.

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