In 2023, ransomware accounted for about 70% of reported cyberattacks worldwide, with over 317 million attempts. It’s clear why attackers increasingly use ransomware to target websites and online services—it’s the easiest way for them to make money. They lock your site or system and demand payment, knowing that you’re likely to pay because you value your site.
Most of these attacks targeted small businesses, forcing many to spend thousands or even millions of dollars to recover their websites. As technology advances, attackers are developing more sophisticated phishing methods that often lead to ransomware infections.
Today, I want to walk you through how your website can prepare for such attacks to avoid becoming the next victim. I’ll start with the basics of ransomware attacks to ensure everyone is up to speed.
Understanding Website Ransomware Attacks
Website ransomware locks administrators out of their sites, replaces content with ransom messages, or encrypts website databases, making recovery difficult without a backup or payment. After the attackers succeed in locking you out of your website, a message requesting payment will appear whenever any of the admins try to access the site. Most attackers usually request payment in cryptocurrency, as it is much harder for authorities to track these transactions.
Common Attack Methods
Some of the common ways hackers trigger ransomware attacks include:
- Malicious Plugins: Attackers inject ransomware through compromised or pirated plugins.
- Outdated Software: Unpatched CMS platforms (e.g., WordPress, Joomla) and outdated themes/plugins create vulnerabilities.
- Phishing: Admins or employees may unknowingly install ransomware by clicking on malicious links or attachments.
- Weak Access Management: Poor passwords or lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA) allow attackers to gain unauthorized access.
Why You Must Prepare for These Attacks
- Financial Loss from Downtime and Ransom Payments: When a website is locked by ransomware, businesses lose revenue due to downtime. Some victims also pay large ransoms to regain access.
- Damage to SEO and Search Engine Blacklisting: Search engines like Google flag and blacklist compromised websites. This leads to a drop in search rankings and lost traffic, making recovery difficult even after the attack is resolved.
- Loss of Customer Trust and Reputational Harm: Visitors who see a hacked or ransom-demanding website may lose trust in the business. This can result in lower sales, decreased engagement, and long-term brand damage.
- Potential Legal and Compliance Issues: Data breaches caused by ransomware attacks can lead to legal consequences. Businesses that handle sensitive customer information may face fines or lawsuits for failing to protect user data.
How to Protect Your Website from Ransomware Attacks
Let’s explore some of the ways to ensure your website is ahead of these attacks:
1. Regular Software Updates and Patching Vulnerabilities
As mentioned earlier, hackers often exploit outdated software to infect websites with ransomware. To prevent this:
- Regularly update your CMS (e.g., WordPress, Joomla), themes, and plugins.
- Apply security patches as soon as they are released.
- Remove unused or abandoned plugins, as they may contain unpatched vulnerabilities that are publicly known.
2. Harden Your Login Page
Your login page is a common target for brute-force and credential-stuffing attacks. These are some of the ways to make your login page more secure:
- Using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adds an extra step, which makes it harder for hackers to get access even when they have the admin username and password. Hiding the Login Page: Use a plugin like WPS Hide Login to change the default URL (e.g., from “yourwebsite.com/wp-admin” to a custom one).
- Limiting Login Attempts: Use a plugin like Limit Login Attempts Reloaded to block repeated failed login attempts to prevent brute-force attacks.
3. Set Up Automated Backups (and Test Them)
Regular backups help restore your site if an attack occurs. Best practices for website backing up include:
- Use both offsite or cloud backups so attackers can’t delete them.
- Automating backups on a daily or weekly basis.
- Testing backups periodically to ensure they work when needed.
4. Use Web Application Firewalls (WAF) and Malware Scanners
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) filters malicious traffic and blocks ransomware before it reaches your site. You can combine this with malware scanners to detect infections early. Regular security scans to identify vulnerabilities before hackers exploit them. Plugins like Wordfence and Sucuri offer all these features.
5. Email Protection Against Phishing Attacks
Phishing emails trick users into downloading malware or revealing login credentials. Protect against them by:
- Using email security tools to filter suspicious messages.
- Enabling DMARC, SPF, and DKIM email authentication to prevent email spoofing.
- Training yourself and your team to recognize phishing attempts.
6. Endpoint Security: Protect Your Devices
If hackers compromise your personal device, they could use it to access your website. Secure your devices by:
- Using antivirus and endpoint protection software, especially on laptops and desktop devices.
- Avoiding public Wi-Fi without a VPN.
- Encrypting sensitive data stored on your devices.
- Avoid sharing your devices with anyone.
7. Limit User Privileges
Not everyone on your team should have full access to your website. Limit user privileges to strengthen security by:
- Assigning roles and permissions based on necessity (e.g., editors shouldn’t have admin access).
- Using the principle of least privilege (PoLP): By using this principle, you will ensure that users have only the access they need to do their work.
- Regularly reviewing and revoking access for inactive users.
Final Thoughts
It is clear that ransomware attacks have significant negative effects on businesses, including financial losses, brand damage, and disruption of operations. This makes it more important than ever for businesses to ensure that their websites are protected from these attacks. This article has outlined key steps you can take to keep your site secure. Most of the steps discussed are free to implement and can be completed in just a couple of hours. So, get started now to protect your site from ransomware attacks.