Jun 6, 2011
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You don’t have to look far in the news to see a story about a company that let it’s guard down and ended up getting hacked, having their site defaced, or worst of all losing customers data to hackers.
Security is now more important than ever. It used to be that everyone created their own proprietary software for their websites and online stores. Now most of the sites out there are built using off-the-shelf software packages that are then themed and customized.
These software packages offer great features and draw on the resources of hundreds or thousands of developers around the world. But that comes with a hitch: If a hacker knows you are using “Software Product A” for your shopping cart, then all they have to do is use vulnerability software to detect if you are susceptible to any of the known vulnerabilities of “Software Product A”. Ironically, the vulnerability software they use is usually off-the-shelf!
Fortunately the solution is simple: keep your software up-to-date!
Keeping your desktop software up-to-date is pretty easy. Windows, Macs, and Linux all have built-in reminders to update to the latest version, and usually the process is easy enough for a novice to do it.
There are even simple online tools that will check and tell you what needs to be updated. Qualys BrowserCheck will tell you in 10 seconds if you browser and plugins are up-to-date, warn you about vulnerabilities, and give you a link to download the update.
Updating customized software on your website is a little harder, but every bit as important. We offer two services to our clients (One Time Updates and Update Subscriptions) to make it easier to keep their websites up-to-date. If you have any questions about whether the software used on your website is up to date then please call our support team at 888-559-3274 and they would be pleased to give you a Free Consultation.