Cybersecurity remains a critical and growing concern for CIOs, network administrators, and website development companies alike. Cyberattacks—whether targeting computers, websites, or mobile devices—are escalating as hackers continuously find new ways to exploit vulnerabilities. Businesses of all sizes, including small and mid-sized organizations, are at risk.

PREPARE. BACKUP. DEFEND.

Cyber security today requires a multi-layered approach.

Any website employing a Content Management System (CMS) is vulnerable to security threats and hacks. Cybercriminals often insert malicious code into websites to promote unauthorized content, execute “black hat SEO” tactics, or install malware that compromises visitor data and privacy. In some cases, attackers deploy bots to launch brute force attacks on login pages, attempting to gain access through common username-password combinations. To mitigate this, we proactively conceal standard login URLs and block IPs attempting unauthorized access.

At de Novo Marketing, we build websites with security in mind from the outset and constantly invest in our infrastructure to keep our clients’ sites safe and productive. While it’s impossible to predict every tactic used by cybercriminals, we take proactive steps to safeguard your site. Our approach includes deploying licensed and proven security solutions, monitoring for intrusion attempts, and implementing industry-standard security solutions. We also utilize an IP blocker that updates twice daily, filtering out known malicious IPs from around the world. 

To protect your website investment, we strongly recommend an ongoing maintenance program. At a minimum, this helps you avoid hefty fees for emergency security fixes, keeps your site updated with the latest software and security patches, and provides essential support. Our advanced maintenance plan includes domain and hosting costs, expanded support, and licensed software that can quickly remove malicious code and restore functionality, minimizing downtime.

IT’S NOT JUST THE BIG COMPANIES AT RISK

While major data breaches often make headlines, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and government entities are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals. This often results in the insertion of malicious code, adware, or even data theft.

• Approximately 43% of cyberattacks target SMBs annually.
• SMBs experience the highest rate of targeted malicious emails, with one in every 323 emails being malicious.
• A significant number of SMBs lack adequate cybersecurity measures, making them more vulnerable to attacks. The average cost of a cyberattack on an SMB is around $25,000.

Cyber threats extend beyond just website hacks. In the second quarter of 2023, cyberattacks against government agencies and public sector services rose by 40% compared to the first quarter. BlackBerry Cybersecurity reported thwarting 1.5 million attacks over 90 days, with 55,000 targeting public sector organizations.

PROACTIVE PROTECTION MEASURES

At de Novo, our team monitors websites 24/7, scanning for anomalies every few minutes and receiving alerts when suspicious activity is detected. For added security, all of our websites utilize high encryption as part of our hosting services. We also offer assistance in implementing two-factor authentication (2FA) for websites, emails, and other platforms to strengthen security further.

For businesses handling sensitive information, we can help integrate encrypted data fields and HIPAA-compliant form solutions. Our monitoring software ensures domain renewals are kept up to date, preventing unintentional lapses in ownership. Additionally, our hosting provider enhances security with a container-based cloud architecture that isolates each site, keeping them safe from cross-contamination. It also helps mitigate attacks by filtering malicious traffic and isolating attack streams before they impact site performance.

Regular backups are another essential component of cybersecurity. We store both daily and weekly backups of your website, allowing for quick recovery in case of an incident. While we’ve never had to use them to recover from a hack, these backups have been invaluable when a user error—such as an accidental layout change or content deletion—requires restoration.

As an agency that specializes in small and medium businesses and local government marketing, we take cybersecurity seriously at de Novo, working closely with our clients to help them protect their digital assets and keep their communications running without interruption.