In the modern world, websites are a necessity for people, businesses and organizations. It ranges from e-commerce to blogging which helps people communicate internationally and improves the economy. Increasing the amount of websites on the web also increases the danger and risk to the security of the internet. Cybersecurity has proven to be a necessity in the realm of managing a website while ensuring safety and privacy for users.
The management of a website may involve sensitive information and properties, hence legal issues and financial loss may arise from not adhering to cybersecurity practices. Websites are known to store and use a range of personal information from payment to business. Failing to adopt the right cybersecurity techniques leaves it exposed to hacking and theft. A cybersecurity breach is also capable of damaging the brand image and charge various clients, and there’s a lot of regulations like CCPA and GDPR that are strictly enforced to protect customer data. Cybersecurity has become a crucial business investment, securing systems from viruses, fraud, downtime, and ransom exploitation.
The cyber goldmine that unscrupulous hackers exploit is malware attacks, phishing, and cross site scripting – to name just a few. This was exemplified in the Equifax breach of 2017 when files containing sensitive personal information of over forty-seven million people required stringent security – such as SSN, plenty of postcodes, dates of birth and numerous other forms of identification. The Equifax cyberattack exploited a vulnerability in the use of the Apache Struts Web App Framework which placed the company in the risk matrix. This incident alone destroyed the reputation of Equifax and showcased to the world the need to vigilantly secure websites from attack.
Web proprietors must use HTTPS in order to secure data exchange, routinely maintain their applications up to date in order to close loopholes, use different forms of strong authentication and also keep copies of data in order to mitigate these risks. Furthermore, the application of web application firewalls (WAFs) while carrying out regular maintenance checks enhances websites security from any intrusion.
As cyberspace develops, new technologies like ML and AI lessen the chances of cyberattacks occurring by being able to actively stop them from happening. In the same context, secure coding and the use of blockchain technology consists of more approaches in the attempt of increasingly more secure web environments. First and foremost, the interaction of websites and cyber security is permanent, hence without cyber security investments for assets and safe cyberspace, everything would go bust.