Unknown security issues can damage more than just your website. For example, do you know what a safety rating is? More to the point, what does your website’s current rating say to your customers about your business? Protecting content and avoiding a loss of data or a loss of control over your site is not your only issue when it comes to securing your web property.
A safety rating is often referred to a reputation rating, hence, these terms are used interchangeably. A website rating is established to protect the safety of Internet users around the world. You should know that sites just like yours are being monitored for this very reason. Information gathered about your site’s security is being readily shared with users and may even be circulated to others throughout the blogosphere. If your website doesn’t rate well for security, your business could suffer tremendously.
You May Be Oblivious To Security Issues, But Your Visitors Are Not
Without your knowledge, hackers can install an array of malicious software on your website. Some are not even all too concerned with disrupting your site right then and there and proceed to install malware that can directly impact your operations. While you may be completely unaware of what has been installed on your website, visitors who rely on security software, plugins and browser extensions may be being warned to stay away. Or, even worse, unsuspecting visitors may end up being infected with malware as they peruse your website. This latter scenario is precisely what recently occurred with the humor website, Cracked.com, which for a period was distributing malware to its visitors while totally unbeknownst to the site’s administrators.
The Malwarebytes Unpacked blog describes what happened when users visited Cracked.com during the hacking incident, “From there a blend of malicious pdf, java and html/javascript files are sent to the browser and upon success the malware itself is downloaded and installed on the compromised system leaving the user little indication that their system has been compromised except that the java plugin has launched and the system is low on memory.
Browser Beware
As previously mentioned, through the use of browser plugins and other antivirus software, web surfers are offered forewarnings about which sites may cause harm to their computing systems. Search engine providers are also interested in protecting users from attack. Google, for one, even operates a special program dedicated to this cause.
Here’s an excerpt from Google’s security blog describing their efforts towards creating a safer browsing experience:
Two of the biggest threats online are malicious software (known as malware) that can take control of your computer, and phishing scams that try to trick you into sharing passwords or other private information. So in 2006 we started a Safe Browsing program to find and flag suspect websites. This means that when you are surfing the web, we can now warn you when a site is unsafe. We’re currently flagging up to 10,000 sites a day—and because we share this technology with other browsers there are about 1 billion users we can help keep safe. via Google Online Security Blog: Transparency Report: Making the web …
Security Issues Are Your Responsibility
Since malware isn’t always readily apparent to you, the website’s owner, it is your responsibility to regularly scan your Internet property in search of these culprits. We understand that owning a website does not necessarily require a high level of technical competency, which is why we created the right software needed to rectify your security issues as easily as possible. SecureScanPro was designed for the non-technical user, yet still does a thorough job of scanning for problems, fixing them and fortifying your property against future attacks.
Certainly, you did not start your site for the purpose of distributing malware. You also have not worked hard to build your online business only to be shunned by your target consumers after receiving a poor website rating. Be assured that if you are not proactive in looking for security issues, however, you may encounter these exact experiences.
Has Your Site Already Been Hacked?
If your site has recently been hacked and your website’s safety rating has begun to plummet, there are things that you can do to salvage your online reputation. First, immediately share a message with your visitors and subscribers indicating that you are aware of the attack and that you are taking every measure to fix the threat. You may even want to be specific in mentioning the precise actions that you are taking to do so while reassuring users that their safety is your number one priority.
A failure to be transparent and act aggressively in your approach to security issues will only make matters worse. In such cases, organizations sometimes even receive bad press, which always has the potential to sour people’s opinions about a company even after an attack has been remedied. Your Internet property may not receive as much attention as the American government’s healthcare website, but that site’s poor security reputation is a good example of how this sort of bad news can spread.
Experts say that serious security vulnerabilities are among the many problems continuing to plague the website, which did not undergo proper testing before its Oct. 1 launch. “I’m not seeing any evidence of new security testing being done on the website,” David Kennedy, the CEO of online security company Trusted Sec, told the Washington Examiner. “There are basic indicators that people testing website security see as evidence of high security standards, and I’m not seeing even the most basic principles [of security] having been performed on the website.” via Tech experts warn security issues remain on Obamacare website …
Are Unknown Security Issues Affecting You Right Now?
So, to revisit the earlier question about your site’s potential security issues, are you confident that your rating is good? When was the last time that you checked your site for possible risks? If you are not analyzing every one of your websites on a regular basis, it is possible that one or more of your sites may have already been hacked without your knowledge. Take the time to remedy this today and set up a regular scanning schedule.
References
Cannell, Joshua. (2013). Cracked.com Found Serving Malware. Malwarebytes Unpacked. http://blog.malwarebytes.org/security-threat/2013/11/cracked-com-found-serving-malware/
