With the steady increase of digitalization in our lives today, cybersecurity is becoming a necessity for all website owners. Security breaches can result in costly periods of downtime, irreparable damage to the brand, financial losses, and customer churn, just to name a few.

With the global transition to virtual workplaces, classrooms, and marketplaces in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, cyberthreats also increased. Some of the top attacks from 2020 include ransomware, phishing, security breaches, and data leaks. Cybercrime damages are expected to reach US$4 trillion approximately N$70 trillion in 2021.

Today, cybersecurity is paramount to overall business health, according to 73% of today’s leading organizations. This goes to show how important it is for organizations to invest in their website’s security. It would be detrimental for them to be the victim of a well-placed cyberattack. But prioritizing site security shows that the company prioritizes security as a whole.

Website security is often threatened due to basic mistakes that can easily be fixed or prevented by website owners. Here are some of the mistakes in cybersecurity you should keep an eye on:

Cybercrime damages are expected to reach US$4 trillion approximately N$70 trillion in 2021

Today, cybersecurity is paramount to overall business health, according to 73% of today’s leading organizations. This goes to show how important it is for organizations to invest in their website’s security. It would be detrimental for them to be the victim of a well-placed cyberattack. But prioritizing site security shows that the company prioritizes security as a whole.

Website security is often threatened due to basic mistakes that can easily be fixed or prevented by website owners. Here are some of the mistakes in cybersecurity you should keep an eye on:

Thinking there are bigger targets out there

Small-scale business enterprises and organizations often make this mistake. It’s not just international companies and financial institutions that are targets of cyberattacks. Every business, large or small, is prone to such crimes. A company’s digital presence can be a source of sensitive information which hackers may try to obtain or the hacker may just be targeting sites at random which an automated script.

Treating website security as an IT rather than a business issue

Investing in cybersecurity is a business investment like any other. A proactive approach can prevent major business losses incurred in the event of a cyberattack. For instance, violations to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws can lead to businesses getting fined up to 4% of their annual turnover. Legal fees and litigation are just one example of the costs that could be incurred in case of a data breach.

Not taking password management seriously

Weak passwords are a major flaw in a website’s cybersecurity. They can be easily exploited to compromise a website’s data. Some best practices to keep in mind include using complex passwords that use both alphanumeric and special characters, as well as enabling two-factor authentication.

Neglecting website security audits

Website owners should conduct regular security audits to properly identify their security vulnerabilities and take action to lower their risk levels. Zero risk does not exist – however, letting your software run without upgrading it (alongside with all the plug-ins) increase your risks. This is an important consideration in your budgeting. Don’t skimp on this.

Improper privilege management

Website user rights and privileges should be properly restricted as necessary. Granting “Admin” privileges for employees or partners that should not have access can be a major security risk to a business as admin access usually give access to critical data. Admin accounts can be targeted by hackers and used as access points to sensitive information. Website owners should ensure admin roles are restricted only to the users who actually need this access and withdraw access for all others.