Since cyberattacks are on the rise, cyber insurance continues to be one of the insurance industry’s fastest-growing areas. There are two sides to this coin for insurance companies: the possibility of a malicious cyberattack on their own agency website and the opportunity for growth in the field of cyber insurance. How can you make your insurance agency’s website safer and reduce your risk of being hacked?
Installing SSL: The Basics Every website must perform this step!
Regularly update your software. This includes your theme, plugins, operating system, and coding, among other things.
Passwords should be complex. Complex passwords should be used for all user accounts on your website. Frequently, it is best to use your system’s computer-generated passwords.
Inform your customers. Make the effort to educate all contractors and employees on cyber security best practices, including how to avoid phishing and other types of hacking emails.
Make use of anti-malware tools. Make an investment in anti-malware software to conduct ongoing scans and ward off malicious attacks.
Upgrade the security of your server. Server hardening is a set of methods for making your server more secure. Manage server access, minimize the external footprint (by hiding key files from the public), patch vulnerabilities, restrict admin access, and limit user access permissions are just a few examples.
SQL injection attacks can be mitigated by using parameter queries.
For login security, you should use multifactor authentication. Apps like LastPass, Microsoft Authenticator, and Google Authenticator are simple to use, and MFA is a great addition to your security protocol. They are stored on your phone, and you can use them to verify a secure login by entering a six-digit code.
Install a firewall. You should take advantage of the firewall feature that is available in the majority of hosting environments. For instance, most hosting companies provide an optional firewall to deter attempted hacking. These ought to be a standard and are an inexpensive addition. When installing a firewall, keep in mind that you will need to modify your DNS A record.
Protect yourself from XSS attacks. Attacks known as cross-site scripting, or XSS, can inject malicious JavaScript into the pages of your insurance agency’s website. This can alter the content of the browser page or potentially steal information. Limiting how and what JavaScript is executed on the page is the best defense. For instance, you can prevent non-hosted scripts (such as inline JavaScript) from running on your website.
Accept comments manually from the site. Spam and script attacks are reduced by not allowing comments to post automatically.
Employ captchas. A captcha should be included in every form; in the event of issues with cookie compliance, add a mandatory field that forces the user to make a choice. For instance, 5 x 4 =
Secure data. Encrypt your data while it is still in motion as a general security measure or whenever you are collecting any kind of data.
Clients and agency principals alike value the importance of preventing cyber security breaches. Make sure the website of your insurance agency is safe!