4 Simple Steps to Hinder Hackers

News
4 Simple Steps to Hinder Hackers

As an estate agent, it’s essential that you can sell properties online safely and that all sensitive data is kept hidden. This applies to both company and client information. Clients will submit information on your website for a number of reasons, they could be submitting details for a property that they are interested in, paying a deposit online if you offer this service or signing up for a newsletter. When this information is entered clients are trusting you to keep it safe and secure. Would you like your personal sensitive information available for anyone to access? Certainly not, and neither would your clients.

We have put together some top tips to help you keep on top of your security.

Keep software up to date

It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many companies think that it isn’t important to keep their website software up to date. They may think that it is just a small new background feature or something unlikely to be used. But many updates which become available include security and not updating these could make it much easier for your website to be hacked.
Not only does this include the server operating system but also any individual software programmes which run alongside such as WordPress Plugins.

Use Secure Passwords

We all know the dreaded phrase ‘your password does not meet the criteria’ when creating an account or new password. It can be frustrating as you want to choose a password that you can easily remember, but bare in mind, if your password is easy to remember it will be easier for hackers to access your account. It is vital that you have a strong password which is changed regularly, and as tempting as it is, avoid using the same password for different things. If all of your passwords are the same and one software system is hacked, then the hacker has your password to everything and could clear out accounts or steal identities in seconds. The length of your password is also important, having a long complex password makes it much harder for hackers to figure out.

Did you know that it can take only 0.29 milliseconds to guess a 7 character password?

Bet you are off to change your passwords now, right?

Web Design

HTTPS

If you are not already aware of HTTPS, you may have noticed that either HTTP or HTTPS shows before the website address in your address bar. HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, with the ‘S’ standing for ‘secure’. This means that your data and identification between your browser and the website you visit is secured by an encryption. This is important for the user as when entering sensitive information, they know that there is this security protection on your website making it safer to do so. Many web users will not browse a website or submit any information onto a website which does not have HTTPS and rightly so, especially those selling properties.

You can gain a HTTPS website domain by obtaining an SSL certificate. We can obtain this for you. Check out our HTTPS article for more information.

Antivirus

Not having up to date Antivirus software installed on your computer is like handing your sensitive data into a hackers hands. Installing a good antivirus makes it much harder for your computer or website to be hacked because Antivirus protects you. This means that there is less chance of your data being stolen.

Are you an estate agent that collects valuable client data online? It’s vital that you protect your website! Follow these simple steps and your website will be much more secure and user friendly.

Related Articles
News
Agent Plus users can chop and change text/photos using the Content Management System (CMS) with this abil...
News
Step 1: Visit google’s reCAPTCHA page and select v3 Admin Console Step 2: Now click the ‘+’ button ...
News
Video guide for Google Maps API Setup In today’s digital age, where convenience and accessibility r...
Let’s talk generating
and converting leads!
We are a friendly bunch and would love to hear from you.
Fill out the form below and we will be in touch

By submitting this form, you agree to Property Webmasters using your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice. We will use your data to send you free marketing tips, news and our latest services. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Need Help? Get in touch >

Request a FREE Design