If you’re one of the millions of people across the globe who has their own blog these days, you probably spend most of your time focused on writing, editing, and uploading content, as well as sharing it.
However, with so many hackers also looking for ways into blogs now, to either cause havoc or steal data, it’s crucial to protect yourself. As long as you take a few strategic steps, you should reduce the risks of attack significantly.
Choose a Security-Conscious Blogging Platform
One of the first things you can do to stay safe is to choose a security-conscious blogging platform for your posts. The brands that have been around for a while with a trusted name in the industry tend to take security seriously and thereby have various protocols in place to stop hackers from accessing blogs hosted on the platform.
When selecting a service (whether you’re starting out or need to find a new provider), pick a company that provides a high guaranteed uptime rate plus impressive rates of threat detection. Also, opt for a tech tool that automatically keeps a copy of all your blog content stored in the cloud. This way, you’ll have backup files on hand if you ever happen to get locked out of your content by a hacker or face a situation where a cybercriminal crashes the system or deletes your data.
Use Security Software
Next, use security software on all the devices you use to administer your blog and upload and edit content. Sometimes, people have their blog hacked because a cybercriminal has found their way in by way of their computer. Avoid ending up in this situation by installing comprehensive antivirus software that will keep hackers out.
The software you choose should be designed to protect against all sorts of different cyber threats, including viruses, spam, spyware, ransomware, malware, and so on. Select a product that provides real-time alerts if anyone tries to hack into your systems, and that protects your privacy online and blocks data-stealing apps.
Add a firewall as another line of protection against hackers, too. Firewalls give cybercriminals another hoop they must jump through to break into networks, especially via an internet connection. Today, most computers come with firewalls pre-installed on them, so you shouldn’t have to buy a third-party product. However, do make sure the firewall is activated by checking the settings on your computer. Not all manufacturers set these up to work automatically, so you may need to switch yours on.
Keep Software Updated
Once you have security software on your computers to keep your blog safe, ensure that software is kept updated. If you don’t, hackers could find a gap to exploit that will allow them to get through the protections. The same is true for the other software on your systems too. For example, ensure the blogging platform software you utilize is always the latest version and keep up to date when it comes to other things like your computer’s operating system, browsers, apps, games, plugins, and more.
Set up your technology to automatically install the latest versions of programs as they become available. This way, you won’t have to remember to check for and run updates manually. Most developers make at least some changes to their programs each year to boost safety.
Set Up Hard to Crack Passwords
Protect your blog by setting up hard-to-crack passwords on your login that will deter hackers from trying to spend time getting into your account. The best codes are those that feature a variety of upper- and lower-case letters plus numbers and symbols. Your password should be eight characters minimum, or preferably more, to make it more secure, too.
Be careful to choose passwords that don’t relate to anything obvious about your blog, such as its name or topic. Plus, don’t use a code that revolves around your birth date, children’s or pet’s names, email address, lucky numbers, or any other information about yourself that you’ve posted publicly online where hackers could find it.
Being a blogger is a time-consuming process and with everything you need to get done in a week, it may be tempting to put aside security concerns for later. However, doing this can leave you more vulnerable to attacks from hackers and compromise the very project you’re working hard to build. Take the simple steps mentioned above, though, and you’ll stay safer and can sleep well knowing hackers should not be jeopardizing your content anytime soon.
