SiteLock is hosting a free webinar and you’re invited! Join us LIVE on February 5, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. CST as we discuss how to determine and deter your website’s risk of a cyberattack. Learn from our SiteLock Product Expert, Ben Brown, as he uncovers who is at risk, what is at risk, how to determine your risk level and ways to lower your risk.
Category: Small Business Page 2 of 9
Ransomware is an attack that can trick you into unnecessarily paying money to cybercriminals while causing you to lose your computer files forever. For businesses, these attacks can also result in a data breach and exposure of sensitive information. Mitigating ransomware is all about preparation and prevention, so we’ll walk you through why this attack occurs, and how you can defend against it.
What is ransomware?
Ransomware happens so frequently that it has a definition in the Oxford English Dictionary: “A type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.” Payment is often requested in bitcoin, the popular cryptocurrency, or in gift cards that can easily be sent to a “burner” email address. Unfortunately, if you’re hit by one ransomware attack, you’re likely to be hit again – a survey by Sophos found that not only did 54 percent of respondents experience ransomware, they were likely to experience two attacks or more.
You’ve launched your website and done all you can to ensure its success, but you may have overlooked a critical component: website security. Cyberattacks cause costly clean-up, damage your reputation, and discourage visitors from coming back. Fortunately, you can prevent it all with effective website security. We’ll discuss the basics of website security and what solutions will help ensure your website isn’t taken down by a cyberattack.
What is website security?
Website security is any action or application taken to ensure website data is not exposed to cybercriminals or to prevent exploitation of websites in any way.
Website security is a key component in the success of your business. Revenue loss, stolen customer data, and reputation damage aren’t exclusive to headline-making data breaches – they can have devastating effects on businesses of any size. Fortunately, any website can defend against cyberthreats with the right security in place. SiteLock not only protects your business, but helps it thrive. Here are the top three reasons why every business needs SiteLock:
1. Your hosting provider protects your server, not your site.
Despite common misconceptions, hosting providers secure the server a site is hosted on, not the website itself. Website owners are responsible for protecting their sites from the malware and DDoS attacks that can harm their business. Think of website security like an apartment building – management secures the building, but it’s up to each tenant to lock their doors and windows.
The small business (SMB) movement is anything but small. From sole proprietors to startups, businesses with one to four employees account for 1.2 million businesses in the United States. In a world where huge data breaches dominate headlines, many small business owners are aware that they need to invest in cybersecurity to protect their business. In fact, 42 percent of small businesses plan to increase their security investment within the next 12 months.
However, many more don’t invest at all. It’s certainly not due to a lack of awareness: 38 percent of SMBs cite security as one of their top technology challenges. It’s that very challenge that results in inaction. Many small business owners feel too “overwhelmed and ill-equipped” to put cybersecurity measures in place – so they put it on the back burner instead.
The solution: make it easy to get expert help. SiteLock reviews how.
It’s not uncommon for a business owner to have a story about the time they experienced a cyberattack.
Perhaps their website was suspended, customers were turned away by malware warnings, or slow loading times caused their traffic to plummet. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be the way the story ends for any business of any size. With the proper website security in place, cyberattacks can be mitigated quickly should they occur.
Here are three SiteLock reviews from three unique businesses that not only survived a cyberattack, but thrived in the aftermath.
When the Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises website was unexpectedly hacked by cybercriminals, Melissa Marchand, website manager, began to panic.
The attack on Whales.net arrived just in time for busy season—and a hacked website meant a complete halt in online scheduling and ticket purchases, the company’s primary source of sales. Even more alarming, the website was blacklisted by Google and online visitors were redirected to pornographic sites, damaging the company’s bottom line and reputation.
Luckily, Melissa called SiteLock at the request of her web host to help get her website back online.
Brett Matthews manages over 125 websites through his company, Square 1 Designs. He provides website design, programming, and maintenance at an affordable price for his clients.
When he had just a few clients, he was able to clean malware and resolve cyberattacks himself. This worked well until one day, a customer experienced a cyberattack while Brett was on his honeymoon! His romantic getaway was interrupted as he spent seven hours removing the malware manually.
Brett realized that he needed a better solution for the sake of his business and his clients. Listen as he recalls his SiteLock experience:
After Amanda Naor, founder of Amanda Naor Photography, was locked out of her own website, she knew there was a problem.
She reached out to her web host, who encouraged her to change her passwords to regain access. But by the time she changed her passwords, her website was hacked, distorted, and her pictures failed to load. Heartbroken and worried by the sight of her deformed website, she called SiteLock for help.
Websites can transmit a lot of sensitive information during a typical browsing session. Consider what you share online every day: your email address, mailing address, phone number, credit card info, even your login credentials. That’s a substantial amount of information you don’t want falling into the wrong hands! The secret to keeping your and your visitors’ info safe lies in SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates. Learn what SSL certificates are, which websites need one, and what else you need to do to protect yourself and your visitors.
