10 Ways to Check Website Security & Tools You Can Use

A website that looks normal isn’t necessarily completely secure. Without you realizing it, even a small security vulnerability can be exploited by hackers to inject malware, steal data, or even damage your business’s reputation through your website.

The problem is that many security threats aren’t immediately visible and are only noticed after they’ve caused harm.

Therefore, as a business owner, you need to know how to check your website’s security to ensure it remains secure, stable, fast, and easily accessible to users without any disruptions.

This article will discuss how to identify website security vulnerabilities and provide a guide to website security testing so you can immediately implement the necessary mitigation measures. So, let’s read on to the end.

The Importance of Maintaining Website Security

Here are several reasons why maintaining website security must be a top priority for your business:

• Preventing data breaches and leaks of sensitive information that could harm your business or users.
• Protecting your business from legal consequences or violations of data protection regulations.
• Preserving your business’s reputation.
• Avoiding potential website performance issues and other operational disruptions.
• Preventing your website from being blacklisted by search engines due to security concerns.
• Reducing the risk of financial loss from cyberattacks.
• Ensuring your website remains secure, especially for online transactions. 

How to Check Website Security & Tips

Here are some ways to check website security that you can use to identify potential security vulnerabilities and prevent cyberattacks early on.

1. Check the Website URL

The first step in testing website security is to ensure that the website URL is correct and does not contain any signs of domain manipulation or spoofing. 

This is because many cyberattacks, particularly phishing, are carried out by exploiting fake URLs that appear similar to the original domain at first glance. Technically, there are several things to check in a website’s URL, including:

• Ensure there are no suspicious additional characters, such as letters replaced with numbers (e.g., g00gle.com).
• Check the main domain, especially if the website handles logins or important transactions.
• Avoid URLs that are too long or contain many random parameters, as these are often used to hide malicious scripts.
• Verify that the URL uses HTTPS, not HTTP, especially on login pages or forms.

2. Check the SSL on the Website

SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a critical component in ensuring the security of data transmitted between users and servers. 

Checking SSL is particularly important for protecting user login credentials, such as usernames and passwords, and for enhancing security for online transactions on e-commerce websites. 

If SSL is malfunctioning or inactive, user data is potentially more vulnerable to interception by third parties, especially when using public networks like public Wi-Fi.

Websites with SSL use HTTPS, which indicates that the data being transmitted is encrypted. To ensure SSL is functioning properly, you can use various tools, such as the SSL Checker from cmlabs. 

By using these tools, you can easily determine the type of SSL being used, the SSL certificate’s validity period, the security standards of the SSL configuration, and potential configuration errors that could create security vulnerabilities.

3. Check for Suspicious Ads on the Website 

The sudden appearance of suspicious ads on a website may indicate that the site has been infected with malware or compromised by malicious scripts. 

Typically, this issue occurs without the website owner’s knowledge because the scripts are secretly embedded within files or plugins.

Some signs of suspicious ads that require further mitigation include:

• Excessive pop-up ads that were never previously displayed.
• The occurrence of redirection activity that directs visitors to other websites.
• The website displays strange banners or irrelevant content.
• Ads that appear only on certain devices.

In addition to harming users, malicious ads like these can also cause a decline in website performance by loading additional scripts. If you encounter a suspicious ad, try not to panic and take the following steps:

• Scan the website using a malware scanner.
• Remove any unknown plugins or scripts.
• Check for website files that have been modified without permission.
• Change the administrator and database passwords.

Read also: Spyware: Definition, Examples, and How to Remove It

4. Check Your Website’s APIs

Did you know that APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are often the most vulnerable entry points for attacks? 

Especially on modern websites connected to third-party applications, payment systems, or other external services, APIs that aren’t properly secured can be more susceptible to cyberattacks. 

Unfortunately, most website owners focus only on the website’s appearance but overlook the fact that APIs operate behind the scenes and are rarely audited. 

When conducting a website security check, there are several key aspects related to API security that need to be examined, including:

• Ensure every API endpoint has strong authentication, such as using API keys, tokens, or OAuth.
• Check whether the API enforces request rate limiting to prevent brute-force attacks.
• Ensure the API does not transmit sensitive data in the clear without encryption.
• Review API access permissions to ensure only authorized parties can access specific data.

5. Perform Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) is a security testing method that analyzes source code without running the application, allowing you to detect potential security vulnerabilities even before the website goes live.

SAST is highly effective at identifying vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), hardcoded credentials, input validation errors, and improper security configurations.

In modern development workflows, SAST is typically run automatically through a CI/CD pipeline. This way, every code change can be immediately analyzed to detect potential new vulnerabilities.

Read also: 11 Steps You Need to Be Mindful of Before a Website Launch

6. Check the Website’s Code

In addition to using automated tools, manually testing the website’s code structure can also be an effective way to enhance website security. 

This is because many coding errors can potentially create security vulnerabilities, such as:

• Using database queries without parameter binding.
• Storing passwords without encryption.
• Using outdated libraries or frameworks.
• Failing to remove debug code before the website goes live.

To ensure website security remains intact, it is advisable to conduct regular code reviews, especially after adding new features, making backend system changes, or migrating servers and platforms.

7. Implement a Bug Bounty Program

A bug bounty is a security testing method that involves inviting external parties to identify security vulnerabilities on a website.

Typically, individuals or cybersecurity communities will attempt to find vulnerabilities and then report them to the website owner for remediation.

This technique is widely used by large companies because it allows them to gain a fresh perspective from outside parties, test the system more comprehensively, and identify vulnerabilities that internal teams might have missed.

8. Check the Website’s Theme Usage

Although rarely considered from a technical standpoint, website themes, especially on CMS platforms like WordPress or similar ones, can often be a source of vulnerabilities if not properly managed. 

Unofficial or rarely updated themes may contain malicious code. This is especially true if you use free themes from unverified sources due to cost considerations or an attractive design. 

Don’t be easily tempted, because themes like this are often more susceptible to hidden scripts. When checking a theme’s security, keep the following points in mind:

• Make sure the theme comes from an official source.
• Check whether the theme is still regularly updated by the developer.
• Delete any unused themes.
• Avoid using pirated or “nulled” themes.
• Avoid using too many themes, as this can increase your attack surface.

Read also: Server-Side Rendering: Definition, Process, and Its Benefits

9. Reviewing Website Content

Reviewing website content may sound simple, but this step is one of the most important ways to check website security. 

This is because cyberattacks often involve the insertion of text, keyword spam, links, or fake and hidden pages that you never created. 

Such activities can also be categorized as SEO spam attacks, which not only compromise website security but also impact overall SEO performance.

So, be sure to review your website content using the following steps: 

• Check for any unknown new pages, especially those with strange or irrelevant URLs.
• Ensure there are no external links leading to suspicious sites.
• Review the content to ensure there are no additions of spam text, illegal ads, or hidden scripts.
• Check media files, such as uploaded images or documents, as these files can also serve as a medium for spreading malware.

10. Trust cmlabs for Website Security Checks

While it is possible to conduct website security checks on your own, if you lack experience in this area, many security vulnerabilities will remain difficult to detect without the right tools and analytical skills. 

Moreover, cyberattacks today are becoming increasingly complex and employ various methods that may not have been previously anticipated. 

Therefore, it’s a good idea to entrust this matter to the professional team at cmlabs, who are experts in analyzing websites in terms of security, loading speed, and search engine performance. 

Through a data-driven approach and technical analysis, the expert team at cmlabs has mastered how to enhance the security of your business website. Through our SEO Services, cmlabs can help you:

• Conduct a comprehensive website security audit, including system analysis, server configuration, and potential vulnerabilities in the website’s structure.
• Detect malware and suspicious activity.
• Evaluate security performance.
• Receive structured and integrated recommendations and fixes, so you not only identify issues but also understand the steps needed to resolve them.

Additionally, collaborating with the professional team at cmlabs can help save time and reduce the risk of errors during the inspection process. 

So, make sure to check your website’s security using trusted tools and expert partners like cmlabs. With the support of these tools and an experienced team, you can ensure your website remains secure, reliable, and prepared to face various potential cyber threats in the future.

To discuss or submit any complaints or questions, don’t hesitate to contact our team. We’re here to assist you in enhancing your website’s security against various cyberattacks!

Read also: 11 Steps You Need to Be Mindful of Before a Website Launch