When thinking on how to secure your website, we need to understand how hackers operate, and how you can prevent data breaches, downtime, and financial losses.
No system is completely immune, but following key security practices makes it harder for attackers to gain access: in this article, we discuss 10 advanced security measures that are easy to implement and vital when it comes to protecting your website from hackers.
What is website security?
Website security refers to the measures and protocols put in place to protect websites from cyber threats, unauthorized access, and data breaches. It involves safeguarding website data, user information, and server integrity against attacks such as malware infections, hacking attempts, and phishing scams.
Implementing strong website security practices helps maintain site functionality, protect sensitive data, and build trust with visitors.
Essential security measures
Install firewalls and WAFs
A firewall is a tool that helps block malicious traffic before it reaches your website. Web application firewalls (WAFs) are a type of firewall that adds another layer of protection by specifically monitoring and filtering out threats like hackers trying to inject harmful code or bots attempting to overload your site. Both of these tools help defend against common threats like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and bot attacks.
Use SSL certificates
An SSL certificate encrypts data transferred between your website and visitors, preventing third parties from intercepting sensitive information. It also helps with SEO rankings and builds trust with users by displaying the padlock icon in the browser address bar. Most major browsers, such as Google, will no longer even load websites that do not have a valid SSL certificate.
Many website owners opt for free SSL certificates from providers like Let’s Encrypt. However, it’s important to note that these free certificates do not provide enough security for websites that process sensitive data (including usernames, passwords, and payment information). If your website processes sensitive data, you need a paid SSL certificate with a higher level of validation.
Keep software updated
Hackers often exploit outdated software, plugins, and themes to gain access to websites. Regular updates patch security vulnerabilities and keep your site protected. Enable automatic updates on your software and systems when possible and remove unused plugins or extensions.
How to secure your website: 10 advanced security tips
Moving forward to making your website hacker-proof, here are 10 practical, advanced and challenge-driven hints to help you protect your brand, your clients, and your business reputation.
1. Secure your website with strong, unguessable credentials
Password breaches are still among the most common causes of website compromises. Relying on easy-to-remember logins or reusing credentials across platforms puts your business at serious risk.
Use a password manager to generate and rotate strong, unique passwords with at least 12 characters (including uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols).
Even better, we recommend ash-alike passwords with 18 or 24 interchangeable characters.
Store these securely, and plan reminders for regular updates.
Pro tip
Today, credential stuffing and brute-force attacks are automated: weak or reused passwords don’t stand a chance.
2. Activate two-factor authentication for all admin users
You wouldn’t leave your office door open overnight. So why let attackers log in with just a password?
Add a second line of defense with two-factor authentication (2FA) using an app like Authy or Google Authenticator. This makes unauthorized logins nearly impossible, even if someone steals your password.
3. Limit failed login attempts to block brute-force bots
Brute-force attacks work by guessing your password again and again, until one combination cracks the code.
Set login attempt limits and automatic lockouts via your CMS or server security tools. You’ll instantly stop most bots from gaining access to your site’s backend.
4. Rename default admin usernames and database prefixes
Hackers often scan for common login paths and usernames like “admin” or “wp-admin.” Likewise, default database prefixes like “wp_” make SQL injection attacks easier.
Customize these to something unique and unpredictable.
Finally, obscurity isn’t security on its own, but removing predictable entry points makes attacks far less likely to succeed.
5. Protect your domain from abuse and impersonation attacks
Securing your website goes beyond your server: your domain name is often the first target in phishing, spoofing, or impersonation attacks.
Criminals can register similar-looking domains (so-called “typosquatting”) to mislead your users, steal credentials, or damage your brand.
To protect against domain abuse:
- Register common misspellings or variations of your domain to prevent bad actors from using them.
- Activate domain locking to prevent unauthorized transfers or DNS changes.
- Use a registry lock for critical domain names to add an extra verification step for any changes.
- Enable DNSSEC to ensure DNS queries are validated and not tampered with.
- Monitor for impersonation using free tools like Google Alerts or premium domain monitoring services
Pro tip
Business owners may think that DNS abuse and domain malicious practices just “won’t happen to them”. Think twice: ICANN’s Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) is releasing numerous publications to counter advanced cybersecurity threats.
6. Restrict file uploads and sanitize inputs
Unrestricted file uploads can be a backdoor for malware and remote code execution.
Limit who can upload files, enforce strict file type restrictions (e.g. only .jpg, .png), and use backend validation. Always sanitize file names and check MIME types before saving.
Pro tip
It just takes one rogue file to compromise your entire system.
7. Install real-time website monitoring tools
One of the most essential ways to secure your website is by using SSL certificates.
An SSL/TLS encrypts the data exchanged between your users and your site, preventing interception by hackers. It also authenticates your domain, ensuring users know they’re connecting to the real you.
To get the most from your SSL:
- Install SSL on all domains and subdomains, not just checkout pages.
- Choose the right level: DV (domain validation) is basic, OV (organization validation) is better for B2B, and EV (extended validation) is ideal for brand-critical services.
- Set up automated renewal to avoid unexpected expirations (a leading cause of lost trust and downtime).
- Use tools like Qualys SSL Labs to test your implementation and catch configuration issues early.
Pro tip
Thinking of implementing SSLs for your clients website but you’re not sure about the ROI? Learn about the numbers behind SSL resale here
8. Replace FTP with encrypted protocols like SFTP
FTP transmits login credentials and files in plain text, meaning they can be intercepted.
In other words, even a secure website becomes vulnerable if your file transfers are exposed.
Switch to SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) to encrypt your data in transit and keep credentials safe from packet sniffers.
9. Schedule regular malware and vulnerability scans
Most customers discover their website has been hacked only after seeing a browser warning or being told by a customer.
Scaling security means automating regular scans for malware, outdated software, vulnerable plugins, or known exploits.
Use security plugins or cloud services to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
10. Enforce role-based access control (RBAC)
Not everyone on your or your client’s team should have full access to your website’s backend.Use RBAC to assign roles with appropriate permissions. Limit what users can see or change based on their function.
Additional security strategies
Backup your website
Regular backups help you recover quickly if your website is hacked. Store backups on an external server or cloud storage and automate the process to avoid data loss.
Choose secure hosting
A reliable hosting provider offers built-in security measures, including DDoS protection, server monitoring, and automatic updates. Opt for a provider that prioritizes security and provides clear policies on incident response.
Conclusion
Website security is an ongoing process that requires attention to detail and proactive measures. By implementing basic protections and advanced strategies, you can reduce the risk of cyberattacks and keep your website running smoothly. Regularly review your security practices to stay ahead of evolving threats.
If you manage multiple domains, buying SSL certificates in bulk through Openprovider can help you streamline security while saving costs. Openprovider offers competitive pricing (starting at less than $5 per year) and a straightforward purchasing process, making it easier to protect all your websites efficiently.
