Web Design Security – Main Security Tips for Web Designers

Web Design Security! Why do you need this, you need this when you are web designer and developing Websites. Update yourself on the most common and modern threats that come with web design. The world is always changing, and so your best defense is to keep learning. You could sign up to a few good security blog RRS feeds.

You could sign up to an online technology magazine, or an online newsreel. However, you choose to keep up to date is up to you, suffice it to say that being aware of the risks is a great way to avoid them.

Here are a few more security tips you should consider when designing a website.

Web Design Security Tips 2013

Use your web design security protocols

• You should use FTPS for your transfers and send your emails using SSL.
• Ensure that your web host is runs suPHP.
• When using normal PHP your scripts are ran under “nobody,” so your script is open access.

SuPHP will limit script access to people who have been granted permission explicitly.

Keep your software updated

• Update both the software and elements that you install and use online, and update the tools and systems you use to create your websites.
• Do not forget that secret additions into your web code can come from any direction, and will make your websites vulnerable.

If you keep your software updated then the hackers have to start from scratch in trying to gain access to your software and systems.

• A hacker will crack a certain version of a program and start abusing the software of people who have that version.

Even years later, a hacker will search the web for people who have not upgraded from the older version. Many times a hacker will not even bother trying to crack your system if you have the most recent version of a piece of software. Do be wary about having your software versions on show.

• If a hacker can see which version of some software you have, then he or she will know if he or she can gain access or not. If a hacker cannot see what version, you have then he or she will have to try every tool and every technique, instead of just the ones required for your version.

Lock your file permissions

• Some applications will demand that you set your files and folder permissions to “777” when you install them.

After you do this, you should make sure you set your permissions back to “755” for your folders and/or “644” for your files.

Set up security standards and rules

• Even if you are a self-employed web designer, or you work alone, as per Web Design Security point if view you should set up standards and rules for your own developing actions.

You should be able to show your boss or you clients how you work. These rules and standards will also help to keep you out of trouble by reminding you about security at key moments.

Have stronger passwords on all of your systems

As a web designer, you are probably computer literate enough to know what makes a good password and what does not. What you may have overlooked is just how many things you should have increased security on. You need to go all the way back to fundamentals.

• You need to start by encrypting your computer with a very good password, and then move onto your WordPress account, email account, etc, all the way up to the password permissions on your websites.

• Make a note of your hard high quality and hard to remember passwords on paper and put them in your safe.

The only ones you should not write down are your email address and the one that allows you access onto your computer. If you memorize those then you will be able to note down the others, knowing that if they gain access to the notes in your safe that they cannot get onto your computer. If they can then you, still have your email address secure, so you can change all the passwords on your other programs/software/platforms using your email address to confirm them.

• Pick strong and very different passwords for your email account, computer access, banking accounts, FTP accounts and cPanel.

Those are the big boys when it comes to hacker access. Securing those with strong passwords should be your top priority.

Be careful when setting your open redirects

A lot of browser attacks are precipitated by web designers setting “Open Redirects”. Your open redirect could become a bad link that leads to a nasty download.

It is better to link straight to another website. The possible negative effects of a direct link are far weaker than if your open redirect is compromised.

Add security to your testing program

As a professional web designer you will probably have testing protocols, be they automatic or manual. You should add security testing into your testing programs too for better web design security.

Trusting other people’s data is dangerous

• You need to look at everything you read and see with a skeptical eye. Just because ten reviews say that an anti-malware scanner is good, does not mean it is not carrying a virus or malware.

This is also why it can be dangerous to copy and paste web code into your website without fully understanding what it does, or how it may interact with the rest of your website.

Your web host plays a part in your security

Your web host needs to offer round-the-clock server monitoring. You need to make sure that they keep up to date with the latest software and web design security.