Many small business owners assume their website is too small to be a target, but online threats don’t work that way. In fact, 46% of all cyber breaches impact businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees, making smaller companies some of the most frequent victims. Their websites are often more vulnerable simply because they have fewer protections in place. Hackers know this, which is why automated bots scan the internet 24/7 looking for easy entry points.
The good news? Most security risks are completely avoidable once you know what to look for. With the right tools and a partner like Magna Technology monitoring your site, you can keep your business safe without becoming a cybersecurity expert.
Here are five commonly overlooked website security risks and how to protect your site from them.
1. Outdated Plugins, Themes, and Software
If your website runs on WordPress or another content management system, you rely on plugins and themes to add features and functionality. But every one of those tools needs updates to stay secure.
When updates aren’t installed, vulnerabilities accumulate, hackers exploit old code, and features break unexpectedly. Ultimately, your site becomes unstable. And because updates feel tedious or time-consuming, many business owners put them off. Unfortunately, outdated software is the number one way hackers get into websites.
To protect your site, keep everything updated: WordPress core, plugins, themes, and PHP. If that sounds like a lot to manage, that’s exactly why Magna includes ongoing update management in our website care plans. We handle updates, test compatibility, and ensure nothing breaks in the process.
2. Weak or Reused Passwords
We all know strong passwords matter, yet most users still reuse the same password across multiple logins. Unfortunately, hackers are able to use automated tools to test stolen passwords across thousands of websites in seconds. If just one of your business logins is compromised, attackers may be able to get into everything else.
Once inside, hackers can pretty much do anything they want: change your website’s content, add hidden links, create fake advertisements, install malware, and even lock you out of your own site.
When setting up or changing passwords, always use long, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication wherever possible. Magna can also help set up secure access controls so only necessary users can log in, and only with the permissions they truly need.
3. Lack of Regular Backups
Backups are one of those things business owners assume they’ll never need, right up until the moment they do. A good backup system protects you from hacked websites, server crashes, human error, failed updates, and plugin conflicts.
The thing is, many businesses think they have backups without knowing whether those backups actually work. Even worse, some hosting companies advertise backups but only store them for a short period of time or don’t back up databases properly.
You can protect your website by creating automated daily backups stored securely offsite (not just on your hosting account). Magna ensures that every site we manage has reliable, tested backups so your site can be restored quickly if something goes wrong.
4. No Firewall or Malware Monitoring
Imagine leaving your storefront unlocked overnight with no cameras and no alarms. That’s essentially what many websites do when they operate without a firewall or malware scanner.
A firewall monitors traffic coming into your website and blocks suspicious behavior before it becomes a problem. Malware scanners constantly check your site for malicious code, unauthorized changes, spam links, and injections.
Without these protections, you may not know your site has been compromised until customers report strange pop-ups, your emails start going to spam, your site suddenly crashes, or Google blacklists your site.
Regardless of the size of your website, you should have a professional-grade firewall and real-time malware monitoring installed. Magna uses industry-leading tools to actively block threats and scan your site so issues are detected early, long before they harm your business.
Insecure Contact Forms or Customer Data Collection
Small businesses often collect customer information through:
- Contact forms
- Appointment bookings
- Quote requests
- Newsletter signups
- E-commerce checkouts
If these forms aren’t properly secured, sensitive data can be intercepted. Even worse, insecure forms are a magnet for spam bots, malware injections, fake accounts, and phishing attempts. Always use SSL, encrypted form submissions, spam prevention tools, and secure hosting environments. Magna configures every site we manage to ensure forms are safe, encrypted, and monitored.
Protecting Your Website Protects Your Business
Your website is often the first impression customers have of your company, and it needs to stay secure, stable, and trustworthy. Strong website security isn’t just about preventing hackers; it’s about protecting your brand, your reputation, and your customers.
Fortunately, you don’t have to manage all of this alone. Magna Technology handles updates, monitoring, backups, firewalls, and ongoing protection so you can focus on running your business instead of worrying about technical threats.
Want a safer, more secure website? Contact Magna Technology today at (617) 249-0539 and let us keep your site protected around the clock.