Monique Becenti – The SiteLock Blog

Research reveals that 68% of small- to medium-sized businesses have no policy to ensure cybersecurity, perhaps due to a belief that they don’t have anything worth stealing. However, the truth is that businesses of all sizes hold valuable data in their hands, and cybercriminals work to create new sophisticated attack methods to acquire this information.

An unfortunate reality for SMBs is that 43% of all cyberattacks target small businesses. Because many small business owners are often busy and strapped for time, cybersecurity might not be a top priority. In order to protect your business, customers, and data, it’s essential you’re aware of the ever-evolving methods cybercriminals use to target SMBs and their customers.

To help you get started, we break down the most common attacks into a simple cybersecurity guide for your business. We’ll examine the techniques cybercriminals deploy to target businesses and their customers. Additionally, we’ll outline some of the most common cybersecurity threats and offer steps you can take today to protect your website from cyberattacks in the future.

Coronavirus: A guide to securing your remote workforce

By Monique Becenti

On March 18, 2020

In Cybersecurity News, Small Business, VPN

Since the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), we have seen recommendations of social distancing, nationwide closures of schools and local businesses, and even national lockdowns of entire cities in the headlines. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, we are likely to see further precautions taken to prevent spreading the virus, including major lifestyle and behavior changes. As part of this effort, we are likely to see more and more organizations transition to remote working environments in order to ensure the health and safety of their employees. However, this poses a larger question. What does this mean for the online security of those businesses?

Larger corporations, such as Facebook, Amazon, and Google, all have the proper resources and security infrastructure in place to protect their valuable online assets and communications, but what about small to medium-sized businesses?

5 Ways to Protect Your Website From SEO Spam Attacks

By Monique Becenti

On March 12, 2020

In Cyber Attacks

As a small business, your website is a critical component of your success — in fact, it’s hard to be in business at all without a website these days. SEO is vital to ensuring your website gains the most visibility from as many potential customers as possible. Small businesses spend an average of $497 per month on SEO services to improve search rankings, keyword selection, and number of backlinks. However, an increased focus on SEO among small businesses has led to a popular type of cyberattack with the potential to destroy your search rankings.

Negative SEO attacks (also called SEO spam attacks) accounted for more than half of all cyberattacks in 2018 and have become increasingly common. This number was also up 7.3% from the previous year. These attacks sink website search rankings by deluging sites with countless files containing malicious keywords and backlinks. Search rankings can make or break a small business, so understanding how to strengthen SEO security and prevent these types of attacks is a must.

Why a Secure Database Means Stronger Customer Relationships

By Monique Becenti

On February 19, 2020

In Database Security

Most small businesses use a content management system to build their site. These systems are easy to use and offer the capability to add external features and functionality, which allows businesses to design a fully functioning website without a single line of code. CMS applications can reduce the overhead cost of staffing a developer to build and maintain a small business’s website. However, neglecting to understand your website’s internal components — such as its database — could cost you more over time. It’s important to understand the critical role a website database plays in your business’s success and how it could potentially impact your customer relationships.

So, how could your website’s database impact your customers? Essentially, your database is a treasure chest full of your customers’ most valuable information. This data stems from the actions customers take on your website, such as making purchases with a credit card or filling out contact forms that ask for phone numbers and email addresses. All of the information entered into your website lives in that database. As a trusted business, your customers count on you to keep their data secure.

Assess Your Database Security With This 4-Step Checklist

By Monique Becenti

On February 7, 2020

In Database Security

With content management systems like WordPress powering a large portion of the websites online, it’s even easier for first-time website owners to build a sleek, professional site for their online business. Dynamic CMS sites are often powered by a database, which is a critical component to secure. This is where your customers’ information is stored. Any time a site visitor clicks an image, fills out a contact form, or makes a purchase on your website, that information is stored in the database.

As a digital storage room full of important customer information, a database is invaluable to your online business. It drives conversions and is the backbone of how you deliver meaningful content that keeps your visitors coming back — but it’s also valuable to cybercriminals. That’s why your small business should make database security a top priority in 2020.

The Top 3 OWASP Threats Your Business Should Address Today

By Monique Becenti

On January 24, 2020

In Cyber Attacks, Data Breach, Small Business

If you’re a small business owner looking to boost your cybersecurity efforts, you’ve likely come across the term “OWASP Top 10.” The Open Web Application Security Project, or OWASP, is a nonprofit group of cybersecurity experts who aim to make cybersecurity resources easily accessible to any business or individual interested in learning about the risks that exist online today.

The OWASP Top 10 is a list of the most critical web application security risks that anyone with a website should know about, and it’s an especially great resource for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). SMBs tend to have less budget and fewer resources available to defend against cyberattacks, so they’ve become a popular target for bad actors. The OWASP Top 10 list can help pinpoint possible vulnerabilities to help establish your cybersecurity priorities.

However, there are three threats from the OWASP Top 10 list that we think SMBs should know about and address immediately. Keep reading to learn more about these threats, as well as tips for securing your business against them.

3 Ways to Prevent a URL Redirect Attack

By Monique Becenti

On January 16, 2020

In Cyber Attacks, Firewalls, Malware

Cybercriminals are stealthy in their attacks — especially when financial gains are involved. With this type of attack, hitting the jackpot requires time and patience. Regardless, cybercriminals also employ “noisy” attacks, or ones intended for victims and other website visitors to see. These typically promote very radical or personal views on various subjects. Some common attacks, however, can be either noisy or stealthy, and this includes URL redirection attacks.

SiteLock’s Top Five Cybersecurity Predictions For 2020

By Monique Becenti

On January 9, 2020

In SiteLock News

It’s safe to say that the volume and magnitude of high-profile data breaches and ransomware attacks that punctuated 2019 really kept the cybersecurity industry on its toes. Data breaches stole numerous headlines this year, including the notable Capital One breach that exposed more than 100 million customers’ accounts. In fact, New Orleans even declared a state of emergency due to the large number of public services that were directly impacted by this ransomware attack. In comparison to last year, research shows that data breaches have increased by 54% — making 2019 “the worst year on record” for data breaches.

According to SiteLock researchers and cybersecurity experts, the threat landscape will only continue to grow in 2020 and will likely bring even more new challenges with it. We’ve analyzed the current state of the industry and packaged up our top five cybersecurity predictions for 2020.

What Is Malvertising and How Do You Prevent It?

By Monique Becenti

On December 12, 2019

In SiteLock News

Did you know that a malicious advertisement could look exactly the same as a legitimate one?

Malware is constantly changing as cybercriminals look for new methods to wreak havoc on website owners and visitors. One of their main tactics is malvertising — tricking visitors into downloading malware disguised as online ads — which can cause problems for both your business and customers. Cybercriminals carry out malvertising cyberattacks in two ways: They either inject malicious code into legitimate digital ads, or they create fake ads and distribute them through ad networks.

It’s easy for an end-user to fall victim to a malvertising attack. Because these devious ads have the same look and feel as legitimate ones, the illicit ads can slip by security checks during the approval process. Once someone clicks the infected ad, it starts a malicious download process and ultimately infects the user’s computer.

A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Preventing SQL Injection Attacks

By Monique Becenti

On December 5, 2019

In Cyber Attacks, Data Breach

SQL injection is such a common tactic in cybercrime that it’s been named a top security threat by the OWASP Top 10, a powerful awareness document representing the most critical security risks to web applications. If you’re not protecting your website from this type of attack, your business and customers are at risk.

So what is an SQL injection attack, and why is this method so popular among professional and amateur cybercriminals?

Author: Monique Becenti Page 1 of 6

Your Small Business’s Cybersecurity Guide to the Most Common Cyberthreats

Coronavirus: A guide to securing your remote workforce

5 Ways to Protect Your Website From SEO Spam Attacks

Why a Secure Database Means Stronger Customer Relationships

Assess Your Database Security With This 4-Step Checklist

The Top 3 OWASP Threats Your Business Should Address Today

3 Ways to Prevent a URL Redirect Attack

SiteLock’s Top Five Cybersecurity Predictions For 2020

What Is Malvertising and How Do You Prevent It?

A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Preventing SQL Injection Attacks

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