What is Website security?
Also called: Web security
The short answer
Website security is protecting a site, its data and its visitors from attacks, through HTTPS, updated software, careful input handling, strong logins and backups.
What people say: “my site got hacked”, “is my website safe”.
Website security, explained
Most small sites are compromised through outdated plugins, weak passwords or leaked keys, not sophisticated attacks.
Fewer moving parts means fewer ways in, which is why static and hardcoded sites are inherently harder to break into.
Questions people ask about Website security
What is Website security?
Website security is protecting a site, its data and its visitors from attacks, through HTTPS, updated software, careful input handling, strong logins and backups.
What do I do if my website was hacked?
Take it offline or into maintenance, change every password and key, restore a clean backup, update everything, and find how they got in before going live again.
Related terms
HTTP is the protocol browsers and servers use to exchange web pages; HTTPS is the encrypted version, shown by the padlock, and is now the default for every site.
Cross-site scriptingCross-site scripting is an attack where malicious code is injected into a page and runs in other visitors' browsers, stealing sessions or data.
SQL injectionSQL injection is an attack that slips database commands into form fields or URLs, letting an attacker read or change data the site never meant to expose.
Two-factor authenticationTwo-factor authentication requires a second proof of identity, such as an app code or security key, in addition to a password to log in.
BackupsBackups are regular copies of a website's files and data kept separately, so the site can be restored after a mistake, failure or attack.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.