Why you need to secure your Joomla! site
Everyone has certainly heard of hackers or hacking. Whether it is bank account hacking, data hacking, software hacking… In short, some people are always on the lookout for loopholes that they can exploit in order to obtain various information that they will too often use for unhealthy purposes. Websites, too, are no exception. Due to the large number of successful and unsuccessful hacking attempts carried out daily, it is important to think about the security of your Joomla! site.
In this article, we develop some basic actions to take in order to keep your Joomla site safe from a large number of cyber attacks.
How to set up security for your Joomla! site
Backup
First and foremost, we want to remember that no security system is foolproof. No matter how secure your Joomla site is, an attacker can always find a loophole that they can exploit to compromise your site or even delete your files completely. To remedy this, it is important to take regular backups of your website. Thus, if a possible problem occurs on your site such as data deletion or virus injection, you can easily revert to a healthy version of your website without problems. For this reason, we recommend a Joomla! web hosting plan that includes periodic and automatic backups of your site. This brings us to the second point, choosing a good web host.
Choose a good web host
Your web host is your ally for the development and prosperity of your Joomla! site. Part of the security of your site is theirs. Indeed, if its servers are not secure, your site will be vulnerable regardless of the security you have set up at the site level. Likewise, if your web host offers regular backups, you will have an extra weapon. Therefore, if you choose one that does not offer quality services, your site and therefore your business will suffer.
Install secure extensions and templates
Hundreds of Joomla! extensions exist to extend the functionality of a site without much effort. Some are free and others are chargeable. Usually, paid extensions offer more features than free ones. In order to take advantage of these extensions without paying the price, some would be tempted to download a free and hacked version of these extensions. Unfortunately, this practice is common although it destroys the work of its author. However, the operator of this type of extension is « also at risk » because pirated extensions usually come with malware injected into the code.
Update Joomla! and extensions
It is important to regularly update Joomla! and the extensions installed on your site. In fact, each update brings new features, but not only. The updates are also used to correct bugs and security vulnerabilities detected. It would therefore be a shame to be the victim of a cyber attack that could have been easily avoided.
Use strong passwords
In the world of cryptanalysis, there is a method used to find a password called a brute force attack. The principle is very simple. This involves testing all possible combinations of a word to guess the correct password. Therefore, we recommend that you use strong passwords for all your login interfaces. Ideally, please use different passwords for the security of your Joomla! site.
Rights to folders and files
Setting the right permissions for your site’s folders and files helps give access to whoever it is and reduces your site’s vulnerabilities. If you are not sure what this is, contact your web host for information and advice. However, the rights of your files and folders should never be 777. Actually, this configuration gives the right to anyone to modify the files (pages) of your site.
Use security extensions
In addition to the rules provided above, you can install various Joomla! extensions which will allow you to improve the security of your site. A variety of security extensions exist for various needs. Find our selection of free Joomla extensions for security.