A cyber attack can take your website down in just one click. That’s why it’s so important to protect your website from attacks and malicious threats. No matter what it costs, you must not delay protecting your website from costly attacks that steal time and money.
Cyber attacks come from software that attaches to a file on your website or computer. Once it attaches, depending on how the hacker writes the code, it can damage files, your computer and completely lock you out of your own website.
That’s why, at Ministry in Business (MIB), we pay for a service to scan our website regularly, including all new photos, apps and messages that we receive. In a one-week period, we had 502 spam messages blocked!
Ouch!
How does this happen?
We started off as a small ministry, reaching family and friends. Now, our ministry has encouraged over 50,000 people through articles, videos, books and coaching. Great news right? Yes, but it also means more exposure. As your readers and members grow, you also attract unwanted website visitors and threats from people and apps who want to bring harm to your site.
Ministries and businesses need an online presence. It’s one of the early steps to setting up your Marketplace Ministry. As you encounter the start-up costs for your business and ministry, it’s normal to look for ways to save money. You may think that protecting your website can wait, but it can’t. You work hard to build your site and attract people. Protect your work by finding an affordable plan to help you secure your website even when your Marketplace Ministry is small.
Here are three types of cyber attacks to notice:
Malware
Malicious software that harms your website/computer. It often attacks your computer through an email link or document you download. The hacker emails a person who is attached to a network. Once a person clicks on the link, the malware gains access to your entire online network, causing many types of harm.
Ransomware
This is digital extortion! Attackers infect your computer or website and lock you out. The hacker demands a payment to give you access to your own website. How do they get in? It usually happens through a type of malware.
Phishing
This happens when attackers falsify an email to lure you into clicking on an attachment. An email may appear to be from a friend or business that you know. It even tries to deceive you into thinking a bank or other business is trying to issue a money refund. There are many ways that attackers try to deceive you. Their primary goal is always to get you to click and respond, opening the door to a cyber attack.
While there are many other types of attacks that serve many purposes. They are all designed to cause you harm, including spreading to other computers, stealing your personal information, taking money and stealing your identity. No matter how these attackers plan to cause damage, they all need a way into your computer. That’s why protection is so important.
At MIB, we are not affiliates of any companies, nor do we promote one company over another. However, it is extremely important for you to find a company that is right for you and get the protection that you need.
Here are three ways we protect our website at MIB.
This app or plugin protects our website from spam and bots in our comments. It saves us a lot of time because we only get genuine messages. The cost is as low as $12 per year.
They protect our website from many cyber threats. They offer a service to scan, patch and back up our website to protect us from cybercriminals and bad bots. The price varies depending on the plan. We pay $24.99 per month for the pro plan.
We added another layer of protection against hackers, viruses and malware. The price varies (approximately $50 – $80 per year).
There are many services that offer reliable products to protect your website. Search for cyber security companies and find the service that is right for you. Also check with your website host. They usually have an affiliate company that will gladly assist you.
Having a Marketplace Ministry is not just ministry and it’s not just business. It’s both. Protecting your computer and your website is just a step that helps keep your ministry and business safe.
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