Get In Touch

Get In Touch

01202 237370

Visit Us

Bournemouth HQ

Second Floor
8-10 Christchurch Rd
Bournemouth
BH1 3NA

London

10 York Road
Waterloo
London
SE1 7ND

Enquiry Form

3 Tips To Find Hacking On Your Site, And Ways To Prevent And Fix it

  • Written By Javier
  • Posted April 14, 2014
  • 2 minutes Read Time

If you think hacking only happens on top-secret government websites, by spotty, daylight-starved hoody-wearing geeks with oversized glasses and a conspiracy theory relating to alien cover-ups in Area 51, then the chances are you’re not too worried about it. However, hacking is far more common than you might think, and if you’re not careful it could be on its way to a Magento site near you.

Why do people hack websites? That depends. Often it’s to harm the site’s reputation, which it can do quite successfully; Google comes hot on the heels of any site that’s demonstrating questionable behaviour, and rankings will suffer, needing a lot of time and TLC to find their way back. Hackers are also out to exploit eCommerce site users, by redirecting links to fake sites and harmful content.

Fixing these problems is a painstaking and time-consuming business. It’s far better to work on keeping your Magento site secure in the first place. Prevention is so much better than cure where hacking is concerned.

So let’s take a look at 3 ways to avoid the problem using some textbook approaches.

Look Out For Suspicious Packages

You don’t need to smoke a pipe or wear a deer-stalker, but you do need to channel your inner Sherlock and notice anything untoward that might be lurking on your site. That includes surprising search queries, for example, those in foreign languages that might indicate hidden pages have been slipped in while you weren’t looking.

Keep Yourself Informed

If you don’t have a Dr Watson sidekick to do your legwork, why not substitute a Google Alert that’s poised to let you know by email whenever dodgy keywords are located on your site. Set it to search for terms such as ‘Viagra’ or ‘Payday Loans’ or any other potential baddies you can think of.

Do Your Housekeeping

And if you’re lacking a Mrs Hudson to do your eCommerce housekeeping, then make sure your software is constantly updated and that any hosting provider is trustworthy. Security is the most important issue because if you leave any lazy loopholes the hackers will be in and out, with their getaway car running outside.

Follow these simple hacking prevention tips, designed to keep your Magento site as safe as houses. Or even Holmes!