Home » How-Tos » For Web Professionals » How Websites Are Hacked in 2024 and Useful Tips on How to Prevent It
Initially emerging as a recreational pursuit to explore program limits, hacking swiftly evolved into malicious activities. The period from the 90s to the 2000s witnessed a surge in hacking incidents, impacting government and business entities. In recent years, cyber-attacks on websites have escalated in frequency and complexity, presenting significant challenges to individuals, businesses, and governments. Considering these concerns, prioritizing cybersecurity is imperative. The question remains: how are websites hacked in 2024? Discover answers and preventive measures in the following discussion.
Why Are Websites Hacked?
Before going into how websites are hacked, you should understand why websites are hacked. Getting access to valuable data is one of the most important reasons for the hacking of websites. Cybercriminals are very interested in private information on web servers.
When confidential information is stolen, it can be sold on the dark web. In the dark web, stolen information can be called identity theft, where a person’s information is used to open bank accounts and loans. Equifax’s data breach in 2017 is one such example.
Financial gain is also another powerful incentive for hackers. Hackers can lock accounts using ransomware to extract money from website owners. One such example of this type of hacking is the “Wanna Cry” ransomware attack in 2017 on Microsoft Windows systems.
To prevent website hacking for financial gain, there should be strong hacking prevention systems. Intercepting financial transactions between your company and its clients is another method of silently breaking into your system and stealing money.
Some hackers are motivated to cause controversy by interfering with corporate or governmental functions. These hackers, sometimes known as hacktivists, are cybercriminals who can cause significant harm and erode public confidence in targeted companies or governments. One such hacking was done by hackers who breached Sony’s network, stole sensitive information, and released it online, causing huge public damage to the company.
How Websites Are Hacked?
Here are some of the common answers to how websites are hacked:
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Malware and Backdoors
Malware is dangerous software, that enters computer systems and websites by taking advantage of vulnerabilities in security, including out-of-date software, unsafe development techniques, or third-party integrations. They can lead to security lapses and frequent website breakdowns once they become infected.
A vulnerability in access control software known as a backdoor can give hackers access to your website without authorization. These might be programming errors or malware bugs that let hackers trick users into logging in and taking over the website.
One important safety measure is to scan your website for malware routinely. Using reliable and up-to-date security tools, comprehensive and regular scans are necessary to detect the most recent threats and understand how websites are hacked.
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Social Engineering
Social engineering is very different from cyberattacks. The psychology of persuasion is the core of social engineering, which works by targeting the mind like a classic con artist.
A cybercriminal will usually pretend to be from a reputable organization to contact their target in a social engineering attack. They may even pose as someone the victim knows in certain cases.
They aim to gain the victim’s trust, make them lower their website security, and encourage them to take actions that are unsafe. This may include providing personal information or clicking on malicious web links.
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Brute force attack
The brute force attack is a type of hacking technique that breaks encryption keys, login passwords, and passwords through trial and error. It is an easy-to-use but effective method of breaking into users’ accounts and accessing networks and systems within businesses.
The hacker attempts a variety of usernames and passwords before figuring out the right one. They often test a large number of combinations on a computer. So, understanding how are websites hacked using brute force attacks helps in keeping accounts and networks intact.
How to Prevent Websites from Hacking?
Do you want to know how to prevent your website from being hacked? Here are some important ways to prevent hacking of websites:
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Choose a Secure Hosting Provider
A secure web hosting company can safeguard the privacy of user and website data. Selecting a reliable host reduces your chances of being hacked or compromised by offering security protections that protect your website. Reputable hosts usually perform routine security checks to make sure your site is secure and safe.
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Use Strong and Unique Passwords
Using easily guessed passwords on websites and email accounts is the largest error individuals make. Hackers can get into your database by names that are paired with your birthdate or a simple series of numbers and an exclamation. To prevent website hacking, make sure your password is strong by using a mix of special characters, capital and lowercase alphabet letters, and numbers.
Also, two-factor authentication (2FA), which links your password to an additional security layer through text code, facial recognition, dual-sided puzzles, and more, prevents website hacking.
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Update your software regularly.
Security vulnerabilities found in the previous versions are frequently updated in recent software. So, frequent updates are necessary to prevent website hacking. You must make sure that every element of their website, such as the themes, plugins, and content management system (CMS), is continually updated.
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Use SSL/TLS Encryption
To safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of data while it is in transit, SSL/TLS uses both symmetric and asymmetric encryption. A secure session between a server and a client is formed when using asymmetric encryption. A data transmission within the secured session is carried out using symmetric encryption.
For a website to use SSL/TLS encryption, the web server or domain name must have a TLS/SSL certificate. The client and server can safely negotiate the encryption level once the certificate is installed.
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Perform Regular Backups
This is an essential step to safeguard you from hardware malfunction and hacking attempts. Without a backup, you lose all of your data, preferences, and settings, but recovering from one is easy if you have a website backup. It is also important to remember that you can backup databases, essential files for websites, and information, both media and non-media.
Manual backup creation is also possible with online tools. You can rely on your hosting company if you have a small website. They often allow you to schedule and automate backups for free, but sometimes they charge a little fee.
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Stay Informed on Website Security Threats
Staying informed on how to prevent my website from being hacked is the most important method to prevent any hack. Read on prominent security blogs about cyber security or subscribe to their newsletters.
Attend workshops or webinars run by cyber security professionals to learn about the latest trends in hacking and prevent threats. You can also set up notifications through any of the special cybersecurity alert platforms. So – how are websites hacked? is a million-dollar question to be answered to prevent strategies for a smooth-running business effectively.
Developing knowledge of how are websites hacked and their prevention strategies will help a business run smoothly without any emergency issues.
READ: How to Protect Your E-commerce Website From Hackers
Final thoughts
Thus, website hacking stands as a prominent cybersecurity threat for businesses across various sectors, underscoring the crucial need to understand how can a website be hacked. Neglecting website security exposes companies to long-term competitiveness risks, emphasizing the importance of engaging security experts for accurate evaluations. With hackers employing diverse techniques, staying informed about how can a website be hacked is imperative. It’s crucial to recognize that ensuring security is an ongoing process rather than a one-time setup.