How to Prevent Hacking

By Alex Carter on November 1, 2024

Cyberattacks continue to pose serious risks to businesses and individuals as daily operations increasingly rely on digital platforms. Hackers use various techniques to access sensitive information, disrupt systems, or damage reputations. Common threats include ransomware, phishing, data breaches, and website attacks targeting vulnerabilities in software, networks, and user behavior. Without proper security measures, companies face financial losses, legal issues, and a loss of customer trust.

Understanding how hackers operate and the methods they use is essential for protecting computers, devices, and websites. Implementing strong cybersecurity practices such as using secure passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, keeping systems updated, and securing networks can help reduce risks. 

How to Protect a Website from Hackers

Businesses continue to rely significantly on the Internet for everyday operations, despite increasing hazards such as ransomware, corporate email scams, and data breaches. Online activity is required for tasks like as financial management, inventory management, marketing campaign execution, customer interaction, social media use, and critical activities. While large firms with excellent security systems are more likely to experience significant breaches, hackers usually target small businesses that ignore cyber dangers and lack the funds to invest in pricey cybersecurity solutions.

Weak cybersecurity policies may have serious consequences for any firm. Consider these crucial strategies to lessen the danger of cyberattacks while also protecting your devices and sensitive information.

Avoid Public Wi-Fi Risks—Use a VPN for Safe Browsing

Public Wi-Fi networks are popular targets for hackers. Fake hotspots and unprotected connections might expose your credentials and other information to criminals.

Tips for Safe Browsing on Public Networks:

• Avoid accessing sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi;
• Use a VPN for secure remote connections;
• Turn off auto-connect to public networks;
• Use a personal hotspot when possible.

Whether in a coffee shop, airport, or hotel, stay away from using public Wi-Fi to access personal or financial accounts. Always use a secure connection to do tasks like purchasing tickets or checking bank statements.

Use Firewalls and IDS for Network Security

A firewall is a key security measure that blocks unauthorized access attempts before they reach your systems.

Best Practices for Network Security:

• Activate firewalls on all devices, not just the main router;
• Install Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to monitor for unusual or suspicious activity;
• Segment networks to separate sensitive business systems from guest or public access.

Regularly Back Up Data—and Test Your Backups

Ransomware remains a major threat, and regular data backups are the best defense. However, backups are only effective if tested and verified.

Backup Best Practices:

• Observe the 3-2-1 rule: Maintain three copies of your data on two distinct kinds of media, with one offshore;
• Use immutable backups that cannot be modified or deleted by ransomware;
• Regularly test your backup recovery process to confirm functionality.

Download Apps from Trusted Sources

Stick to apps from reputable developers and official stores. Regularly update your apps and operating system and remove any applications you no longer use.

Improve Password Protection and Strengthen Account Security

Passwords are sometimes the simplest targets for fraudsters. Many people still use the same password for many accounts even after being made aware of the risks. According to statistics, 66% of people still reuse their passwords even though 91% are aware of the risks. Once a hacker obtains access to one account, they might imperil many others. Strong, unique passwords for software, social media, and internet services are necessary. Symbols, numbers, and letters make up a secure password that should never be used again.

Tips to Reduce the Risk of Credential Theft:

• To generate and save strong, unique passwords, use a reputable password manager like Keeper.
• Choose passphrases over short, complex passwords (example: CloudSecurityIsKey2025!).
• Enable biometric authentication like fingerprint or facial recognition when available.
• Update high-privilege passwords every 90 days.

Pro Tip: Recommend password vaults for employee use to prevent password sharing and reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

Think of your password as the key to your digital assets. You wouldn’t secure valuable possessions with a weak lock—your online accounts deserve the same level of protection. Large companies invest in password management systems, but affordable solutions are also available for small businesses. These tools can generate and encrypt passwords while offering features like custom privacy policies and LDAP integration.

Add Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Extra Protection

Even a strong password may be hacked. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) increases security by demanding extra verification. It prevents 99.9% of automated assaults by guaranteeing that hackers cannot access your accounts using stolen credentials alone. Consider MFA to be a second lock on your digital door—if one is compromised, another is in place to prevent further access.

MFA Best Practices:

• Use phishing-resistant MFA methods, like hardware tokens or FIDO2 keys;
• Apply MFA to platforms such as Microsoft 365, remote access systems, and administrator accounts;
• Avoid relying on SMS-based MFA—opt for authentication apps instead;
• Use adaptive MFA to trigger additional verification only for unusual login attempts.

With MFA in place, even stolen credentials won’t be enough to breach your accounts. It acts as a secret code only you can use, creating a strong defense against cyber threats and credential theft.

Watch Out for Phishing Emails

Approximately 3.4 billion phishing emails are sent daily by hackers, and phishing attempts are the first step in 82% of ransomware operations. Professionals use email extensively for updates, reminders, and document sharing, thus, inboxes are becoming a common target for hackers looking to obtain private information.

How to Recognize Phishing Attempts:

• Verify the email address of the sender; fraudulent addresses may have little changes or misspellings;
• Look for urgent notifications requiring rapid action (e.g., “Your account will be suspended!” or “Pay immediately!”);
• Hover over any links to see the URL before clicking;
• Avoid downloading unexpected attachments—use sandboxing tools to inspect them safely.

Email remains a common entry point for cyberattacks. Treat your inbox as a critical security zone. If an email requests sensitive information such as banking details or social security numbers, consider it suspicious. Block, delete, and avoid engaging. For added safety, check the sender’s IP address and research its origin to confirm legitimacy.

Keep Software and Systems Updated

Hackers have easy access to outdated software. More than 60% of data breaches occur on unpatched systems. Frequent upgrades aid in defending against the most recent dangers, such as viruses, ransomware, and malware that takes use of known flaws.

Best Practices for Patch Management:

• Turn on automatic updates for all software and operating systems;
• Apply critical security patches within 24 to 72 hours;
• Use endpoint protection tools like SentinelOne to monitor for exploitation attempts;
• Implement third-party patching tools to cover all installed applications, not just the operating system.

Using out-of-date software or hardware leaves your network vulnerable to online attacks. One of the best defenses against ransomware, viruses, and malware is to keep your systems patched and updated.

Why Do Hackers Target Devices and Networks?

Hackers breach systems for a number of reasons, including:

• Financial Crimes: Getting rich is a common incentive. When hackers get hold of credit card numbers, banking information, and other financial data, identity theft and illegal transactions take place;
• Vandalism: Some hackers harm websites or disrupt services in order to draw attention or make a statement. Digital vandalism is one of the most prevalent techniques for hackers to impress one another;
• Hacktivism: Hackers with political intentions may change or destroy websites in order to convey their ideas or criticize specific organizations or regimes;
• Corporate espionage: Spying is another purpose for hacking. Businesses may try to obtain an unfair competitive edge by stealing intellectual property or confidential information from rivals.

Cybersecurity Vigilance: Simple Steps to Stay Protected Online

Being vigilant and recording your errors is the first step in protecting yourself against hackers. You should be cautious when using the internet, reading emails, or doing any other cloud-based or online activity to safeguard your data.

Here are a few last recommendations for improving your cybersecurity:

• Keep answers to security questions private and avoid sharing them;
• Set up an alternate email address for account recovery if needed;
• Back up important files to an external encrypted hard drive;
• Add a backup phone number to your accounts for extra security;
• Keep passwords in a safe, encrypted password vault.

Adhering to these procedures consistently lowers the chance of cyberattacks and helps safeguard your private data.

Potential Risks of Cyberattacks Targeting Business Websites

If a company’s website is not secured from hackers, there might be dire repercussions. The release of confidential customer information on the darknet is one of the main problems, and it usually results in a long-term drop in client loyalty and confidence.

On their websites, a lot of companies store confidential papers, vendor information, customer portals, and intellectual property. A company’s reputation might be severely damaged by a security breach, which could lead to significant financial losses as well as litigation from concerned partners and customers.

After taking over a website, hackers may use it to launch attacks on other businesses. Cryptocurrency mines often employ compromised websites, using server resources without the company’s knowledge.  If law enforcement finds such activity on the company’s server, it might lead to legal issues, investigations, and increased time and financial expenditures.

Insecure websites may also become testing grounds for hackers experimenting with new techniques or tools. This unpredictable activity can cause extensive damage, making the recovery process lengthy and complex.

Additionally, attackers may insert malicious content or redirect traffic from the company’s website. In some cases, competitors carry out these actions to harm a business financially and damage its reputation. Failure to implement strong website security measures leaves a company vulnerable to these and other threats.

Common Website Hacking Methods Used by Cybercriminals

With over 1.2 billion websites worldwide, ensuring the security of each one is impossible. Every day, Google Safe Browsing issues more than 3 million warnings about potentially harmful sites. Research by cybersecurity firm Sucuri shows that 1-2% of scanned websites display signs of compromise. This means at least 12 million websites could currently be hacked or infected. Additionally, around 64% of businesses globally report experiencing web-based attacks.

Most website hacking attempts fall into three main categories: third-party integration risks, software vulnerabilities, and access control attacks. Hackers often target weak login credentials using brute force or phishing to gain access to restricted areas of a website.

Numerous business websites have undiscovered flaws that hackers might take advantage of even if they don’t directly impact user experience. SQL injection, remote code execution, and local or remote file inclusion are some of the most often employed techniques in these types of assaults. These flaws might be present in the website’s infrastructure or web server in addition to its program. Third-party extensions, including plugins and themes, can also be used as entry points by hackers. Because website owners occasionally have limited control over this third-party technology, their exploitation can lead to serious security breaches.

Another popular tactic is Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Botnets are used by cybercriminals to flood servers with traffic, which crashes websites. DDoS attacks are sometimes used to freeze forms and collect user information.

Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks are frequent methods used by hackers to insert malicious code into legitimate websites, allowing them to access sensitive information. There are two major forms of XSS attacks. Stored XSS refers to the malicious script being persistently preserved on the server. Reflected XSS happens when a script is momentarily run via search results or warning messages.

Another method used by attackers to divert traffic from legitimate websites to malicious ones is DNS spoofing. Users may be exposed to malware as a result, or hackers may be able to obtain data about the traffic that was redirected.

Hackers may use a known flaw in a content management system (CMS), plugin, or template rather than focusing on a particular website. Sometimes, popular systems with security flaws in their older versions, like WordPress and Joomla, are targeted.

Conclusion

Preventing hacking necessitates ongoing attention to cybersecurity measures across devices, networks, and websites. Failure to safeguard systems can result in data breaches, financial losses, legal issues, and ruined reputations. Businesses and individuals should prioritize robust password protection, multi-factor authentication, frequent software upgrades, safe surfing habits, and secure backups. Monitoring for suspicious activities and educating users on potential hazards are also vital. By using these practices, you may decrease risks and safeguard sensitive data from cyber attacks.