Earlier this year, a well-known UK website hosting firm found themselves victims of a large-scale attack that saw  605 client websites hacked that had been hosted on their server. The incident should serve as a cautionary tale for all companies – including digital marketing agencies – who host client sites, where the threat of hackers using one site to springboard to many others is very real.

In this case, the client website hack remained for at least a day. This is ample time for businesses to suffer a huge hit to their finances, and to their reputation – which can naturally lead to fractured relationships with agencies. If you build and host websites (and if you want to retain your position as a trusted advisor and shine among your competition) you certainly have a responsibility to prevent website attacks. Follow our ten step checklist and find out how…

CLIENT WEBSITE HACKED ! – HERE’S HOW TO AVOID IT

01

Fight fire with firewalls

It may seem obvious, but firewalls are an essential first line of defence in helping to prevent client website hacks. Make sure you have an up-to-date and effective firewall in place.

02

Identify weaknesses

Don’t be satisfied with a half-finished job. Ensure your client websites are robust, and identify any weaknesses, by carrying out penetration testing during the build process. This helps you keep them free from malware placed their continually by hacker bots

03

Track spikes and dips

Hosting websites doesn’st mean the job is done after the initial build. The best firms will avoid burning bridges by carrying out continuous monitoring for unusual spikes or drops in traffic. These are sure signs of your finding a client website hacked.

04

Keep data safe

Make sure that any information stored about your clients on their site is well protected. In the incident we mentioned above where found they had 605 client website hacked, the data on the server was deemed compromised, and possibly stolen. The last thing your clients want to hear is that their personal information has been sold on the black market.

05

Check the legalities

Consider your legal arrangements. Do you have a contract that specifies how you will secure sites against breaches? Or is it up to your client to be responsible for their own security? Make sure you both know now, to avoid lengthy disputes down the road.

06

Minimise malware entry points

Are you running safe software? Don’st run any unnecessary software that could be used as an entry point for criminals to spread malware.

07

Back up, back up

For peace of mind, make daily back-ups. You need to have the option of restoring sites from backups following a client website hacked.

08

Get a free scan

If you suspect a breach – or if you just want to check (it’s not always clear) contact OneHourSiteFix for a free scan. If we detect an attack, we aim to fix it within the hour.

09

Educate your clients

Ensure clients know how prevalent attacks can be – especially for small businesses. Client website hacks can happen through as little as a compromised email address. Also make sure your clients understand what makes an effective authentication process, and help them explore recommended routes such as two-step verification.

10

Read up on how we can help – in less than 1 hour

For total confidence in your security measures, implement our SharkGate software for easy, safe protection. This solution provides robust security for businesses worldwide, and is ideally set up to support small to medium sized businesses. The monthly fee for digital marketing agencies who host sites is applicable per server rather than per site. This makes it a really cost-effective means of keeping each and every one of your clients’ hosted sites safe.

For more guidance on how you can keep a client website hack free with SharkGate software, contact the OneHourSiteFix team today. Why not also read our Trustpilot reviews so you can find out how clients have rated our work?

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