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Why would anyone want to hack my website?

you_have_been_hackedcomputerWe get this question a lot. Sometimes we get this question after a new client has experienced the devastating effects of a hacked website and have come to us to clean it up. Other times we get this question when we try to educate our clients on security best practices. While we hope you don’t fall into the first camp, please take a few minutes to read this article to help you gain a better understanding of why security of your website is important.

Real Businesses, Real Hacks

Over the years, we have seen many different security breaches to e-commerce websites, nonprofit websites, solopreneur websites, church websites, and small business websites.  No matter how insignificant you may feel your website to be, a hacker isn’t after the content on your website, but rather the resources your server can offer or the hacker simply wants to show off. Here are a few ways a compromised websites are used.

  • to send spam
  • to advertise products like Viagra
  • to be used as a peer-to-peer network for sharing of illegal music and video files
  • to redirect to porn sites
  • to show off a hacker’s skills

Almost all of the hacks we helped to clean, were a result of the client not regularly updating WordPress core, plugin and theme files.

Impact of a Hack on People

Regardless of how the compromised websites were used or how a hacker gained access, the hacks all produced the same effect – embarrassment.  It leaves the client embarrassed that their website has been hacked and potential customers might have seen it.  It can negatively impact the reputation of a company.  It can slow down a website so much (due to spam or file sharing) that potential customers bail before the home page loads.  Google blacklists close to 10,000 sites a week for malware and flags over 20,000 sites for phishing every week (see this article for more information).

Not convinced your website is vulnerable or that it will matter all that much if your site is compromised?  Read ‘The Impacts of a Hacked Website‘ by Sucuri.

Protect Your Business

Most of the time, it’s not a question of if but when will your site get hacked.  With security, it’s important to remember that no website is 100% secure.  Rather, a layered approach must be implemented so that a potential intrusion is thwarted because the hack will take too much time and too many resources.

Consider a thief who is roaming a neighborhood.  Let’s say he strolls past a few houses with their lights on, cars in the driveway, a TV on and no windows open.  Then he comes to a house that’s dark, there are no cars in the driveway and it looks like no one is home.  To which house do you think he’ll try breaking in?  Now imagine that when he gets to the door of the darkened house, it is locked.  He may try to break in by smashing a window if there’s one nearby or he may try to jimmy the lock, but he may also walk away because it takes too much effort and there are another half dozen houses on the block that also look like there’s no one home.

D3’s Solution to Security

We implement security measures that are like the brightly lit house.  When hackers are trolling for websites to attack, clients on our servers aren’t easy targets so they often pass us by and write us off as too much work.  In the coming weeks, we will dive a little deeper into these security measures so that you will be armed with the knowledge you need to rest easy at night.

 


Resources

Need managed wordpress hosting?  Read more about our services.

Really interested in this topic?  Read ‘Why Websites Get Hacked‘ and ‘The Impacts of a Hacked Website‘ by Sucuri

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Testimonials

  • Gary L.
    D3 Website Solutions came as qualified referral from trusted tech provider, Carolinas NetCare. Previously, we were a loyal, 15 year client of another provider. Service subsequently declined with the provider eventually failing. Laura took on our renovation project with undivided attention. She is always very patient in understanding our needs. Her guidance & insight is invaluable in building our site to best reflect our business. We greatly appreciate the excellent service & tremendous value we received.
    Gary L.
    Owner - Lark Golf
  • Dr. Steve W.
    We sought out the expertise of Laura and D3 solutions based on the recommendations of trusted colleagues and the need for a web developer who could understand our unique needs. Laura’s reputation is well earned as she was able to deliver a truly incredible product that exceeded all of our expectations. Her communication was timely and through a balanced combination of expertise and creativity, she was able to transform rough sketches and basic ideas into a captivating website that now serves as the centerpiece of our mission and work. Laura was patient with our questions and sensitive to our concerns. In every possible way, D3 Solutions demonstrated the highest level of customer service. In the end it became increasingly clear that for Laura and D3 Solutions, the people they serve are far more than clients, they are partners.
  • Chuck J.
    D3 Solutions is my go-to company for web development and website hosting. They provide solutions I can feel confident in, stable and secure servers and responsive customer service, all at a price I find very competitive. I could not do what I do without a partner like D3 Solutions.
    Chuck J.
    Chuck Jones Direct
  • John R.
    We reached out to Laura at D3 Solutions after our website had a security breach. She was extremely responsive and had the issue cleared up right away!
    John R.
    Classy Career Girl
  • Dave S.
    It has been a true joy working with Laura! She was involved from the initial thoughts and concepts of what we wanted in a website to then seeing our vision fully realized in a very professional and attractive site. Laura helped us work through ideas, and offered expertise in how to best implement them in a manner that made sense and was best utilized by our target audience. We are thankful that the relationship is ongoing with advice and troubleshooting being just a phone call or email away. I highly recommend you consider Laura for your website design and development!
    Dave S.
    Mentoring Timothy
  • Paul D.
    A couple of years ago I hired a company to rebuild my website, and when the process stalled out, Laura came in and salvaged what could have been a disaster. Since that time she has worked to maintain my website and has proven to be highly skillful in what she does, responsive, and ethical. I would recommend her without any hesitation.
    Paul D.
    EcoGreen Landscaping
  • Debbie P.
    Laura is a fantastic web developer! She’s developed three websites for me and it’s unbelievable how quickly she can get a project done! She’s decisive and thorough, but also creative and understands the whole process and how everything fits together. One of the things I appreciate most about working with Laura is that she’s very dependable and responds to emails within the hour. Her training videos explain things clearly and easily, even to a novice like myself. Thinking of creating a website? You can’t find anyone better than Laura.
    Debbie P.
    Rome with Purpose