There are three common forms of computer network hacking.  DoS attacks are when hackers flood the network with unauthentic traffic, which crowds out legitimate traffic and can cause your system to become unresponsive.  Wireless networks are particularly susceptible to DoS attacks.  Hackers can access an organization’s network from a car or coffee shop and leave behind no evidence.

Another type of hacking attack is known as information leaking or pirating.  This is where information is taken without the legitimate user’s knowledge.  Hackers can receive unauthorized information and then change its contents without the user knowing.

ARP (address resolution protocol) is what allows a device that uses TCP/IP protocol to detct other devices using IP addresses on a network.  A hacker can interfere by changing this identification information in such a way as to allow them to receive the transmitted information instead of the intended recipient.

An IT penetration test can determine how well your computer system is protected from hackers.  The penetration test is designed to try to gain access to your network and information assets in the same way that a hacker would.  The benefit of a penetration test is to identify the extent to which a system can be compromised before an actual determined attack.  After a penetration test is completed, you will know where security needs to be enhanced and will be able to sleep better at night.

Your conversion rate is the number of conversions divided by the number of page views. It is the percent of people that buy something when visiting your website.

Successful conversion rates can be interpreted differently by different groups of people like marketers, advertisers or content creators. The desired action can take many forms which vary from site to site.  Some examples include product sales, membership registrations, newsletter subscriptions, software downloads or really any activity beyond page browsing. A high conversion rate means that a larger number of visitors are actually becoming customers.

Conversion rate is the most critical statistic about a website.  Conversion rate directly impacts profitability and is important to a website’s success or failure.  Having a higher conversion rate can boost’s the website’s profits and a lower conversion rate can lead to negative consequences like getting pushed out of the marketplace.

So now that we have the definitions out of the way, how can you determine if your website is vulnerable? Certain website vulnerabilities can be difficult to identify.  Basically if your system is running slow or if something is not working right, you may be vulnerable.

How can you protect yourself and avoid problems of website vulnerabilities? The first and very best way that you can protect yourself from website vulnerabilities is to have vulnerability scanning on your website.  Vulnerability scanning is a daily or quarterly scan performed by an ASV (approved scanning vendor).  They scan your website and system for any of these flaws, or vulnerabilities to help prevent you from having issues with your system.  Vulnerability scanning is required for online businesses by the PCI standards.  It is a must if you want to avoid problems with website vulnerabilities.

So don’t risk your online business.  Get vulnerability scanning so you can avoid problems with website vulnerabilities.

A recent study by WhiteHat (http://www.whitehatsec.com) security in Santa Clara, California, has shown that there is a real problem with website vulnerabilities.  The study showed the top ten website vulnerabilities and also showed that one out of every three website has vulnerability issues that put their companies at risk.  According to the study, the most common vulnerability continues to be Cross Site Scripting (also known as XSS).

Cross site scripting is a type of computer security vulnerability which occurs when a web application gathers malicious data from a user.  The data is often gathered in the form of a hyperlink that contains malicious content within it. One way that an attack can happen is when code is hidden in a "click here" hyperlink attached to a URL that points to a non-existent web page. When the page is not found, the script is returned with the bogus URL, and the user's browser executes it. An exploited cross site scripting vulnerability can be used by attackers to bypass access controls.  Their impact on companies may range from a petty nuisance to a significant security risk depending on the sensitivity of the data handled by the vulnerable site.

So what can you do to protect yourself?  As a business owner, remember that XSS holes can be very costly to your business if abused.  Filtering is a good way to solve XXS attacks and also using a vulnerability scanner to scan your website for any cross site scripting errors.  As a user, the easiest way to protect yourself is to only follow links from the main website you wish to view.  If you are visiting a website and it links to EBAY, for example, instead of clicking on the link, visit EBAY’s main site.  Sometimes XSS can even be executed when you open an email or email attachment.  Be aware of website vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability Assessment is related to PCI Scanning in the fact that they both serve basically the same purpose.  They both scan over a subject in order to find any holes in the system that would let any intruders in.  They not only help to find any viruses or bugs you might have in your system now, but their main purpose is to scan your system and find any problem areas and fix them in order to prevent any security issues from happening.

While I was learning about vulnerability assessment I found out how important it is to have something that will find these vulnerabilities for you.   In this day in age it is important to have a third party helping to protect your online business.  There are so many ways to hack into your server and corrupt all that you have worked for and if that isn’t scary enough these hackers are constantly scanning your business looking for holes, and they are constantly finding new ways to get a hold of the sensitive information that is stored on your site.

If you have an online business I would definitely look into getting some type of vulnerability assessment tool such as PCI Scanning to help protect your business.  It would be very beneficial to protect yourself from hackers who are constantly changing their tactics by using a third party who can keep up on the latest things that the hackers are doing and scanning your business in order to prevent any security problems.

Website security is constantly changing and evolving.  Hackers around the world are figuring out a way past your current website security method as we speak and so we are always trying to stay one step ahead of them by finding better website security methods. A security breach is always possible with the way hackers work these days, but you are definitely on the safer side with your business if you are always in the know about the current website security trends.

Because we are always having to improve our website security methods, there are a lot of simple ways to keep up to date on any new trends that may come out.  One of my favorite ways to stay on top of things is to read on social networking sites such as hubpages, squidoo, gather, zimbio, and many others.  Just search for website security and you can read a lot of great new articles on the subject and keep up with any new information out there.

It is so important if you have an online business, not to just get your website security into place, and leave it at that.  You must be vigilant about keeping up to date on all the latest information about website security.  This will keep you, your business, and your customers better protected from hackers and the ongoing battle of website security!

Going with a service such as Hackersafe will provide a great benefit to your business. Not only will you increase your security and have a constant eye on your business looking for any weak spot where a hacker could get through, but you are also protecting your customers as well. It you make it known somewhere on your site that you are protected by a service such as Hackersafe, your customers will feel a lot better about buying from your site and you will see an increase in your conversion rate. Many businesses like Hackersafe even offer a money back guarantee if your conversion rate does not increase.

Although website security services such as Hackersafe are a commitment because of the cost, the pros definitely outweigh the cons and it is definitely worth it and it will make a big difference to your business as well as to your customers. It can be a scary world out there if the right security precautions aren’t taken and the internet is no exception. Using a service such as Hackersafe will take the security for your business to the next level and give your customers a business they can count on!

Anti-virus Software:  This is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including computer viruses, worms, and trojan horses. Such programs may also prevent and remove adware, spyware, and other forms of malware. This can be purchased or downloaded via the internet.  Special care should be taken when choosing your anti-virus software, as some programs are not effective as others.

Manage Your Website Over Encrypted Connections: Make it a habit to use proven encrypted protocols like SSH to securely access resources and transmit data. When registering new customers for your site, always use maximum encryption.  You must give your customers a guarantee that you won’t share their data with any third parties.

Verify That Your Website Is  A “Legitimate” Business – Display Trust Marks: Some things that a website should included that show security and trust, are a privacy policy, terms of use, refund policy, testimonials, FAQ/sales support section, digital certificate/data security page, copyright statement on every page, well written “about us” page, and address and phone number contact page.  Also, display trust marks or trust seals on your website showing that the site has been verified by a third party. It is important for your customers to know that your website is legitimate and can be trusted.

Have current vulnerability assessments and PCI scanning performed: You should have your website scanned by an approved scanning vendor at least quarterly, but preferably daily.  This is important to do, so that any vulnerabilities that are found on your website can be corrected quickly and you won’t suffer any security breaches or downtime, which means lost sales.

Be Proactive and Keep Your Website Updated With New and Changing Security Solutions: Even the most well maintained and antivirus solutions packed into a small business website can have a problem or two from time to time.  Protect important information by hosting data backup systems.  Keeping your business website secure requires a certain degree of diligence. You may even want to consider hiring a company to help you.

These are just a few of the most important website security measures to get you started.  There are more you should think about. Some of these tips make seem like commonsense, but you would be surprised at how many small business owners neglect some or all of them, if for no other reason than just because they are so tied up in the other business priorities.  Just remember it is super important.  Hopefully this checklist helps.