What does a Website Security Scanner do?

A website security scanner is a program that will help you find potential vulnerabilities in your site.

It is important to use one because hackers can take advantage of these vulnerabilities and steal information. Unfortunately, most of the time, the business is held responsible for breaches of data.

There are many scanners out there, but not all of them offer the same level of protection or accuracy for finding threats on your site. In this blog post, we'll discuss how scanning works and what it does so you know which type best suits your needs!

So whenever you're ready to start your journey towards a secure and stable website, keep reading on.

What does a Website Security Scanner do

The Importance of Website Security

Website security refers to all aspects of protection when designing web software, including:

  • network protocols
  • hosting platforms
  • encryption systems used for communication between client browsers and servers

A website security scanner is a software that tests your web design to find vulnerabilities and threats.

It can test many different things, depending on what you need it for, but the most common types of scanning include:

Website Vulnerability Scanning

A vulnerability scan will check all pages and scripts in your system, looking for flaws like open ports. This leaves the website susceptible to hacking and attacks from hackers and malware.

Hackers are also known to exploit outdated CMS systems. This type of testing will help protect against Black Hat tactics.

Web Application Security Testing

This form of testing looks at input forms within websites.

This is done with special tools designed to look for SQL injection errors or other vulnerabilities. Web applications are not as conducive to simple injection hacking.

This is because they often host a greater level of security features from the get-go.

Penetration Testing

This is the most thorough type of website security testing. It usually involves a team of experienced hackers using different methods to try and penetrate your site's defenses.

They will use automated tools like vulnerability scanners and manual hacking tactics. These involve trying all kinds of possible exploits to find weak spots on your site!

A complete penetration test takes several days. It offers data about how likely it would be for someone with malicious intent or even an incompetent staff member to harm your business. It does so by penetrating through its web design defenses.

If you are looking for this level of website security scanning, make sure you hire experts who have enough experience. They must know what they are doing!

How Do Website Security Scanners Work?

A website security scanner has three primary components: the crawler, the interface, and reporting. The crawler scans your site looking for errors or potential threats.

It might also look at how secure pages on your site are if you have an SSL certificate installed (if it's not doing this, find another scanner).

The interface is how you interact with the scanner's crawler. You should look for a user-friendly interface that is easy to understand and use, so it's worth your while!

Reporting refers to how all of this data gets presented back to you in an organized format. The easier it is for you to interpret, the better! If at any time during testing or reporting there are issues found on your site, they will be reported back in detail about what was wrong and recommend ways to fix them.

This way, security flaws can get patched up quickly instead of being left open where hackers could exploit them!

Is Website Security Scanning Worth It?

Website security scanning is definitely worth doing, especially if you own a website that holds sensitive data about customers like their credit card numbers or personal information!

The cost might seem high, but it's much less than trying to deal with the fallout from being hacked. This can include paying fines and having damaged credibility when people find out about the breach in web security (customers will leave and never come back).

A good scanner should also offer aftercare services so you can get advice about how to fix the problems they uncover.

For a website security scanner to work properly, it needs access to your site. Make sure not to block it from seeing all pages on your system. This will interfere with its testing process and give you an inaccurate report!

You should also have other forms of web application protection in place. For instance, firewalls prevent unauthorized visitors from accessing the server directly.

If you don't have this, you allow hackers full control over everything inside. This is why having a good level of penetration testing done regularly makes sense. This is especially true if you want peace of mind about your business's online presence!

How to Choose the Right Security Scanner?

There are several website security scanners available, but not all of them offer the same quality of service. It would help if you looked for one reputable and has been around long enough to handle most web applications without any issues. A good scanner will have advanced scanning technology and expert analysts who know what it takes to keep your business safe from harm!

You also need a website security scanner that offers you a detailed report about everything that was wrong with your site. This is so you can fix things up quickly before hackers exploit those vulnerabilities. They do this regularly, looking for sites with outdated software versions.

This makes their job much easier than going after the ones using current patches and updates! An effective reporting system includes line-by-line explanations of the problem and how to fix it so you can get your site back up and running as quickly as possible.

You should look for a website security scanner designed with speed in mind. This is because if its crawler takes too long when crawling through all of your pages. It's not going to give an accurate report about any weak points!

Some scanners may also offer more in-depth scans like looking at server configuration files. This you might want to consider depending on the type of information being shared online. Still, these tend to take longer than just scanning web pages themselves.

So whatever website security scanner service or product you choose, make sure they have a good reputation behind them. Offer great customer support, plus detailed reports about what was found during testing. The better the service, the fewer headaches you will have in the future!

What Common Vulnerabilities Does a Website Scanner Detect?

Website security scanners are designed to find vulnerabilities in your web design. This is so you can fix them up before hackers exploit those weak points.

They typically check for common issues like SQL injection, password strength. It also offers protection against XSS attacks when someone injects code using JavaScript.

An effective scanner should also search for configuration errors that could leave the server open to direct access. This usually occurs by unauthorized visitors who might cause damage or try to steal information from inside!

While most security scanners focus on finding problems with your site's structure, they may not be able to identify all types of threats. Of course, this is depending on how well developed their scanning technology is.

You may need something more comprehensive if you want peace of mind about being protected. It doesn't make sense to rely on just one way of keeping your business safe online.

It would help if you looked for a scanner that offers multiple levels of protection, including firewalls and DDoS mitigation. These can be used in tandem with website security scanners to create a layered defense system that keeps every part of the network. Secure yourself from hackers!

Here are the common issues that a scanner can detect:

Reflected Cross-Site Scripting

XSS is a type of injection attack typically used to steal data.

It is also often used to inject malicious scripts into the website. You'd be surprised how easy it is to perform this attack, and how many websites are vulnerable to it.

It's an easy issue to prevent, but not so easily resolved after the fact.

SQL Injection

This vulnerability allows an attacker to access your server's databases by sending queries. This is done through fields, URLs, and application components like search boxes!

It can also be used as a backdoor for hackers who enter commands on behalf of authenticated users. This means they can do anything the accounts can do, including administrative privileges!

Directory Traversal

This vulnerability allows an attacker to access and download files stored outside the webroot. This is why websites with this type of design issue need to be scanned.

This is so you can fix them before hackers exploit those weak points! It also allows you to upload scripts onto your server, which could then be used as backdoors or data-stealing agents.

Remote File Inclusion

RFI lets attackers inject code into a website through file names in URL requests. They don't have direct control over what gets executed since there is no direct script execution!

This means that even if their code doesn't work right on one side. It might cause serious problems on another depending on how RFI was and whether or not it's been patched yet!

This is just a small list of the common web-based vulnerabilities that an online scanner can detect.

Still, there are many others, including cross-site request forgery, local file inclusion, and remote code execution. This could let hackers send spam emails or turn your site into part of a botnet army.

A good security scanner should be able to find most of these vulnerabilities, so you can fix them up before hackers exploit those weak points!

Prevention as a Cure

The best way to avoid having your website compromised is to detect the vulnerabilities in advance and resolve them. Hence, prevention is a cure to all your worries about website security!

Here are some best practices that you should follow when using a website scanner:

Regularly check for the latest bug fixes and apply them as soon as possible.

Use strong passwords different from those used on other sites to prevent attackers from reusing your credentials on another site! It's also advised to use two-factor authentication wherever it is available since this makes the stolen password useless without the time-sensitive second "key"!

Make sure you don't install unnecessary software or plugins onto your website, increasing its attack surface area, making it more vulnerable than before! One should remove unnecessary components, so only essential parts remain active and protected against hackers, malware, and data theft attempts.

Lockdown access to the admin panel by restricting URL paths with .htaccess or other methods. This will prevent attackers from using brute force techniques if they get hold of your username and password!

Protect CMS configuration files so that hackers cannot modify them for malicious purposes, which could give them full control over your site if exploited successfully. Remember, prevention is always better than cure when it comes to website security breaches!

Your Website Security Done Right

Now that you know what a website security scanner does, you are well on your way to ensuring the safety of your project. All in all, a good security scanner should be able to detect the most common vulnerabilities and provide insight into how one can resolve them.

To avoid compromising your website, you need to use the best practices listed above as a preventative measure since no cure will work once attacks have succeeded!

It's always better to take precautions before hackers find those weak points in your web design, so why wait until it's too late?

 

Use an online website security scanner today and enjoy peace of mind knowing that your project is safe from cybercriminals looking for their next target. Get in touch with us to get your scanner right now.

Website Security

All websites are exposed to security risks and so are the networks on which the websites’ servers are connected. 

You should therefore strive to ensure your website is dependable by convincing your clients that their information and transactions are secure within your website.

If you are running an ecommerce website then it is definite that clients will be setting profiles and transacting through your website every other day.

However a large percentage of your clients will not engage in transactions on your website if you do not have a web security certificate.

You should also note that search engine spiders will also scan your website for the security certificate to ensure the safety of visitors.

It is common to find websites on search engines marked as “unsafe” or “distrusted” because of they do not have a security certification certificate.

Herein we take a look at how you can improve your websites security and guarantee your visitors safety of their data and transactions.

Website security certificates

Internet security experts will recommend different types of security certificates to businesses depending on their needs and the nature of their websites.

With each certificate making it known that your website has been verified and  is safe for online business and transactions.

Below are some of the certificates you need to know about:

 

Organization validation certificates. These are documents that confirm and justify that the business running the website is lawful.

Any business that engages in financial transactions with clients must have this certification.

This certification confirms that the websites information corresponds to what is in the domain database register.

Thus shows fundamental factors which include the security regulations followed by the website such as secure connections, encryption and secure servers just but to mention a few.

 

Where to get security certificates

Business owners can always ask their host service provider to include the hackers locked security trust mark in your package.

It is however advisable that you obtain the above mentioned certificates from website security companies that are approved. 

Such security companies can be found online but you should put into consideration several factors so that you choose a firm that is ideal for your website certification needs.

You also have to consider the reliability and reputation of the company you intend to get the certificate from.

It is advisable that you consult other businesses whose websites already have the certificates before making a decision.

The firms apart from giving you a certificate may also offer you website security auditing as well as security seals.

These will help raise your websites security standards in the eyes of your clients.

Importance of website security

A fully secured website will get you high sales and increase your revenue because clients will trust your website more and will be willing to use their cards and give their information knowing that their data is safe.

Securing your website will keep away hackers thereby ensuring your clients are satisfied and keep coming back.

The secured website will also make it easy for you to retain new site visitors and increase traffic thereby leading to increased conversions.

If your website is not secured and a client loses money; the word will get out and current clients as well as prospects will lose confidence in your website leading to a significant decrease in brand value.

Website security also ensures that your site is free from the risk of Trojans and viruses which may affect the operations of the website.

 

Tips to secure your website

Regularly update your software.

Each software update comes with fixes on security bugs and this is one way you can use in keeping away hackers.

You are advised to regularly install new software versions to seal security holes in previous versions.

Use passwords that are hard to guess.

To prevent security breaches you need very strong passwords for your email, cPanel and FTP accounts.

When coming up with passwords try to include number and special characters.

Hackers usually use Cross Site Scripting to gain access to websites by using JavaScript and popping in scripting codes in web forms.

It is therefore advisable that you check all data submitted to your website and get rid of any unnecessary HTML tags.