Nowadays cybercrime has raised rapidly. The main reason is attackers can breach the security of software applications or websites.
So, are you confident enough that your website is safe from any cyber attack? Hacking and malware attacks happen through websites. That is why it is important to check the security of a website.
We are going to show you some techniques with which you can check the security of a website quite easily. Let’s jump right in.
- How to Check Security of a Website?
- How to Detect a Malicious Website
- Online Free Tools to Scan Website Security Vulnerabilities & Malware
How to Check Security of a Website?
Here are the techniques you need to follow in order to check the security of any kind of website.
1. Look for the SSL Certificate
HTTPS is no longer an alien when it comes to websites and security. It’s a pertinent aspect of what makes a website secure. If you’re visiting an internet site barring the “S” in the HTTPS, your browser will ask if you want to strengthen the website online at your very own risk. The SSL protects personal facts from being transmitted to a server. Without this certification, sensitive facts are uncovered and without problem, handed to cyber criminals.
SSL certificates can be accomplished with HTTPS. However, which SSL you need to purchase is the primary question here.
Let’s say if you are visiting an eCommerce site; then a low-cost or less expensive wildcard SSL can be an exceptional help. If you are a single internet site owner, you can go with single-domain SSL.
Whether logging in to a web page or making fees online, ensure it has SSL.
2. Website Trust Seal
Most eCommerce or buying websites use a have faith seal to point out their trustworthiness. So when you see a seal that says “Secured” or “Verified,” you can relax because it guarantees that you’re on a secure website. While a have faith seal shows a secured website, it doesn’t always warranty your safety.
Everything is now effortlessly reachable online. So it’s handy for scammers to sketch a fraudulent website and consist of a believe seal to make it appear legit. Confirm the seal by using clicking it to see if it takes you to a verification page. Don’t cease there! Research the safety organization that substances the seal to decide its legitimacy.
3. Check the Site With Security Tools
Web browsers generally has built-in safety tools to consider and decide whether or not a website is protected or not. These tools can assist block malicious pop-ups, give up malicious downloads, and control the internet pages that can get entry to your webcam. Review your browser’s protection settings to make sure your safety.
Here’s how to get to your safety settings in famous browsers:
- Chrome: Settings > Advanced > Privacy and security
- Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security
- Edge: Settings > Advanced settings
- Safari: Preferences > Privacy
4. Ensure the Website has Privacy Policy and Contact Information
Every official internet site has to add its privacy policy facts on its page. This states how the internet site intends to collect, handle, use, transfer, and tightly handle your information.
While these insurance policies are full of criminal terms, we advise that you search for phrases like “ data,” “third parties,” and “store” so you can know how the web page handles your private information.
More regularly than not, internet site proprietors consist of the coverage record in their page’s footer. Read via it earlier than submitting your facts on the site.
In addition to the privacy policy, take notice of the contact information. Does the website furnish a contact form? An official internet site will show an electronic mail address, bodily address, or cellphone number.
5. Look for the padlock icon and HTTPS in the address bar
Although SSL/TLS certificates are not the only way to secure a website, they are still essential to website security. SSL/TLS certificates provide encryption and authentication, which helps to protect data in transit and prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
When you visit a website, you should look for the padlock icon and HTTPS in the address bar to ensure that the website has a valid SSL/TLS certificate.
If a website doesn’t have a valid SSL/TLS certificate, it’s best to avoid entering sensitive information on that website, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
6. Check for two-factor authentication (2FA)
Two-factor authentication is an additional layer of security that requires users to provide a second form of authentication, such as a code sent via SMS, in addition to their password.
2FA provides an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access to user accounts, even if the user’s password is compromised. By checking if a website offers 2FA, you can ensure that user accounts are adequately protected.
You should also ensure the website doesn’t allow weak passwords or password reuse, as these practices can make user accounts more vulnerable to hacking.
7. Check for secure password storage
Websites should store passwords using secure hashing algorithms like Bcrypt or Scrypt. Secure hashing algorithms ensure that passwords are stored in a way that makes it difficult for hackers to reverse-engineer them.
You can use a tool like “Have I Been Pwned” to check if a website has had any password breaches. If a website has a password breach, changing your password immediately is essential. As hackers may be able to use it to access other accounts, you have that use the same password.
By checking if a website uses secure password storage, you can ensure that your password is protected from unauthorized access.
How to Detect a Malicious Website: 9 Effective Ways
Even with an SSL certificate, privacy policy, and a website trust seal, an internet site can be dangerous if contaminated with malware. Online scammers are getting clever in how they deceive humans and compromise systems.
To defend yourself from malicious websites, it’s essential to know the number of ways hackers can execute their devious plans. Below are some ways you must know:
a) Third-party content injection
This is the approach of enhancing content material in a connection. Third-party content material injections can be harmless. But if an internet site isn’t protected, hackers can leverage this vulnerability, the use it for malicious hyperlinks or ads.
This commonly takes place extra without difficulty on websites that lack SSL, and the first-class prevention is to make certain the internet site is invulnerable earlier than interacting with it.
b) Malicious redirect
If you enter a URL and stop up on a suspicious website, you’ve been a sufferer of a malicious redirect. This usually occurs when you click on a hyperlink to download software programs or media content. When this happens, shut the web page straight away to stop malware infection.
c) Phishing
Most online scams in modern times contain phishing. Cybercriminals cover themselves as official sources to trap human beings into divulging touchy information. They can ship you a phishing e-mail or hyperlink that leads to a malicious website. Humans make mistakes. So it’s viable to click on a malicious hyperlink earlier than realizing it.
Moreover, beginners can execute a phishing attack with phishing kits. They replicate websites you go to frequently (including banking or social media login pages) to trick you into submitting your credential details. While such a website may show up legit, its URL and frequent spelling or grammar errors point out otherwise.
d) SEO spam
To detect SEO spam, look for irrelevant or repetitive content, hidden text or links, unnatural link patterns, and pages with thin content, or use an SEO audit tool.
Malicious websites may use these unethical SEO techniques to manipulate search engine rankings and drive traffic to their websites. Pages with excessive keywords, hidden text, irrelevant links, or little content can indicate SEO spam.
SEO audit tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz can help detect these issues by analyzing a website’s content, links, and other SEO factors. Identifying and avoiding SEO spam can help ensure that the websites you visit are legitimate and secure.
e) Check for suspicious pop-ups or alerts
Malicious websites often use pop-ups or alerts to trick users into clicking on a link or downloading malware. These pop-ups may look like legitimate system alerts or security warnings.
If you see suspicious pop-ups or alerts while browsing a website, it’s a good idea to close it immediately and run a malware scan on your computer.
f) Look for misspellings or fake domains
Some malicious websites use misspellings or fake domains to trick users into thinking they are visiting a legitimate website.
For example, a phishing website may use a domain name like “bankofamerrica.com” instead of “bankofamerica.com”. Check the URL carefully to ensure that you are visiting a legitimate website.
g) Check for SSL/TLS certificate errors
SSL/TLS certificates are used to encrypt data in transit and verify the authenticity of a website. If a website has a valid SSL/TLS certificate, you should see a padlock icon and HTTPS in the address bar.
However, some malicious websites may use invalid or self-signed certificates, which can cause SSL/TLS errors or warnings to appear in the browser.
If you see an SSL/TLS error or warning while visiting a website, avoiding entering sensitive information is a good idea.
h) Check for suspicious behavior
Malicious websites may behave unexpectedly, such as opening multiple browser windows, hijacking your browser’s homepage, or changing your default search engine.
If you notice any suspicious behavior while browsing a website, it’s a good idea to close it immediately and run a malware scan on your computer.
i) Use a website reputation service
Website reputation services like Google Safe Browsing or Norton Safe Web can help you identify malicious websites.
These services analyze websites for known threats and warn if a website is flagged as malicious.
If you receive a warning from a website reputation service, it’s best to avoid visiting the website altogether.
Online Free Tools to Scan Website Security Vulnerabilities & Malware
Here are some of the best tools to scan your site for security vulnerabilities, malware, and online threats.
- SUCURI
- Qualys
- HostedScan Security
- Intruder
- Quttera
- UpGuard
- SiteGuarding
- Observatory
- Web Cookies Scanner
- Detectify.
Check the Security Before Entering a Website
Hopefully the instructions will help you check the security of a website before entering.
It is very important to be safe while using the internet. If you visit an unsecured site, you may lose important data from your computer. So be very careful and follow our instructions.