In the last few years it was published in the news that the Department of Defense’s computers were attacked by Malware. Yet we website owners, operators, and designers often feel overconfident about our own security. Maybe we feel we are insignificant. What would be gained by getting access to our website? We have a great password. “Hey, we have an Apple computer, so we’re safe!”
The sad truth is that hackers are more sophisticated at catching us unaware. Their success relies on quantity. If one person buys their bogus offer, then maybe others will as well.
In the past, we learned, that you never go to your bank or Paypal website by clicking a button sent by email. Always go to the url of the company and then look for the message or offer on their home page. The bank will be well aware by then and post a warning. Misspellings were often a giveaway. You can be pretty sure Bank of America will not publish an email with a misspelling. But, look out… Today, it may not be so easy to detect.
If you start receiving annoying emails with a big UNSUBSCRIBE button flashing at you, don’t go near it. Malware could be inserted into your email to then gain access to your email address and send out the same offer to many other people you don’t know. Your hosting company, always on the lookout, will shut down your website (and your POP email) if they catch malware in your files. It is your job, then, to get it cleaned out by contacting a company such as WeWatchYourWebsite.com. It may take a day, or two, or even a whole week before you can ask your host to get you reinstated.
But, how do we avoid malicious code in the first place? Here is a list of ways you can be proactive in the fight against malware:
- Add spam filtering to your email. This prevents the spam email from gaining your attention. If you aren’t receiving junk email, you won’t be tempted.
- Add the Surcuri plugin to your WordPress website. This is a free plugin by a reputable company. Update your plugins and WP software regularly. They often come with security updates.
- Back up your website, weekly or monthly. I back mine up to Amazon S3, but you can back a website up to your computer or server also.
- Back up your computer. Use an external hard drive or the cloud. Do it monthly.
- Use secure passwords. I can’t emphasize this enough. I use a password generator to create mine, then copy them to a secure area on my laptop.
And always be on the alert. If you detect anything suspicious, run to We Watch Your Website, and hope for the best!