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Hacking Business Websites

Since the beginning of the internet there has always been a concern on security. From parents telling their kids to not to talk to strangers to the NHS being hacked by ransomware. This concern is arguably more important for businesses than it is for individuals. If a persons card details are stolen or an account in hacked, it’s an inconvenience but for most cases it is a temporary issue and can usually be resolved. The same can’t be said if a business’s website is hacked or a customer base exploited.

If an online service you were using got hacked and your details were stolen or you were otherwise affected by it; it again wouldn’t be the end of the world – replacing credit cards is annoying but not impossible. However; would you continue to use that service? How much would you trust that online provider? Online attacks can be the end of a business and pose as serious threats to all businesses who have an online presence.

Catch up with Google’s hacker report of 2016 here to see the increase in hacking attacks last year and their predictions for the future.

Hacking For Non-eCommerce Websites

But what if my website doesn’t store credit card details? Or even have accounts or email capture? I’m just a local business and only local people will know of my business and website, can I be at risk? The short answer is yes; a hacker will see a small or local business website as a potentially easy target. Especially if that website is more than a few years old and isn’t fully updated; the further behind updates a piece of technology is the more vulnerable it is. It’s why smartphones and apps are constantly updating.

If a hacker gains control of your website they can; edit the website and potentially cause offence to your customers, remove it from the internet completely or use your website to send emails and contact others posing as you. If too much spam is sent from one address, email providers like Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook will blacklist that address and the process of getting your address off that blacklist is long and doesn’t have a guaranteed result. Assuming your website and address recover from the hack and the blacklisting, it’s probably been a few weeks, how well will your online business be performing after that? Customer trust will drop out and you may not be able to recover from it.

Is your website at least two years old? Is it running on old updates and software? Does it have none or little security? Is it missing an SSL? If your answer to any of these questions is yes or if you’re unsure; I’d strongly recommend getting in touch with whoever runs your website to make sure your business isn’t vulnerable. It’s like a car; the longer you leave it between services, the worse it can get.

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