As the number of businesses and websites increases, so do the opportunities for cyber attacks. The data they produce are common targets for cybercriminals, especially organizations with smaller websites. In many cases, they do not have security measures that are as robust and advanced as more established companies. The result is a growing volume of threats in virtually all industries. HackerOne’s security report for 2022 revealed more than 65,000 data vulnerabilities in that year alone. It rose by 21% from the previous period.
Bigger cybersecurity challenges
Responding to threats takes 277 days on average, and by then, considerable damage may have already occurred. That’s due in large part to the growing sophistication of cybercriminals. Some time back, ProDigitalWeb.com delved into various cyber attacks like denial of service, internet graffiti, and doxing. These are getting stronger as hackers leverage new technology like 5G, leading to more defaced websites and compromised networks. As pointed out in our post on ‘Network Vulnerabilities’, there must be defenses against physical and non-physical vulnerabilities to prevent such incidents as much as possible. Unauthorized server access deterrents like biometrics and data protection measures like web application firewalls provide multiple layers of security. Covering both aspects helps you avoid blind spots that may be exploited by attackers.
Start strong with a secure website
Having a solid foundation for your website is a critical factor for everything above. It can serve as the core of your cybersecurity strategies. If your site has a lot of weak spots right from the start, the rest of your protective countermeasures may not be as effective as they should be.
A secure website builder can address this need. Many of them come with industry-leading security solutions and trademarked features specially developed to bolster data protection.
With that said, let’s look at some of the most trusted names in website building when it comes to security.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is a name synonymous with website building because they’ve been around for 25 years and still going strong. This longevity is a good indicator of their reliability, which also holds true for the website security they provide. Namechk.com’s guide to the best website builders in 2023 includes GoDaddy as a top pick and mentions its high-security ranking as one of its strongest qualities. Their security features like multi-factor authentication and data encryption are considered among the best in the industry. They’re also big on DNS privacy and deploy protective measures such as browser locking capabilities, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security, and HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS).
Webflow
As of year-end 2022, Webflow has been powering more than 630,000 websites. Their platform may not be known like some others in terms of design elements and templates, but their security is top-notch. For starters, they’re powered by AWS. Amazon Web Services’ best-in-class threat protection solutions include Amazon Inspector and Amazon Macie, both of which are regularly updated with new cybersecurity features. The former provides vulnerability scanning, while the latter is a data security service that assesses threats using machine learning technology.
Those come on top of other security measures like SSL certification that’s backed by Let’s Encrypt, the largest certificate provider in the world that supports 300 million users. Webflow is also SOC 2 compliant. SOC stands for System and Organization Controls, an audit system administered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. This means they passed strict evaluations that also cover financial information and user data. If the site you’re building will incorporate e-commerce, this credential is a good sign that your transactions and other pertinent data will be in good hands.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is targeted mainly toward medium to large enterprises that intend to build a new site or upgrade to a bigger one. Due to the nature of their clientele, website security must be of paramount importance.
This provider holds two notable certifications, namely ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and PCI DSS 3.2. The first one falls under the ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards that cover information security, including web user data. PCI DSS, meanwhile, refers to an information standard pertaining to the secure transmission online of credit card data, which is another must-have for e-commerce sites.
Other security features implemented by BigCommerce are multi-factor authentication, SSL, TLS for link encryption, HTTPS migration, file integrity assessment, and multi-phase threat detection. The last one involves several layers of protection, including early warning systems that flag intrusion attempts and emergency firewalls.
Keep your website and yourself secure in the long run
The providers listed above are some of the most secure platforms for building a website today. All of them also provide regular updates and security patches to maintain the high level of protection implemented on the websites they support.
Lastly, keep in mind that the protective features of your website can only go so far. You and your team are still the most important part of the security system. Be sure to arm yourselves with the right knowledge and training on how to protect data. You can begin with ProDigitalWeb’s guide on internet safety to learn about some great personal practices on information security.
