Take this lesson: You are never too small to be hacked.

In fact, the smaller you are, the easier a target you appear to be for hackers who have various motivations.

Think of a wild savannah cat, like a lion, chasing a gazelle. Who does the lion usually focus their attention on?

That’s right, the scrawny little guy with a broken leg.

It’s kind of a gruesome picture, but that’s how many of these hackers view these small Websites. They’re easy-pickings because small business owners oftentimes just don’t know how to protect themselves, and they’re too busy wearing a billion hats sometimes to notice. You’re that gazelle with a broken leg.

I told the story in a recent blog post of a client who came to me with a site that was already hacked and she didn’t even realize it.

Over the next several weeks I am going to be giving tips surrounding website security, specifically related to small businesses with WordPress websites.

• How are most WordPress websites hacked?
• How to know if your WordPress site has been hacked.
• Is Your Site “Too Small” to be Hacked?

But first, let’s recap the reasons why someone would want to hack a small business Website like yours:

1. To show that they can.
2. To gain access to your saved passwords and the saved passwords of your clients and use them elsewhere on the Internet (bank logins, etc.)
3. To gain access to other, more important and sensitive, parts of your site.
4. To turn your site into a virus, attempting to infect everyone who visits it.
5. To hold your site for ransom…shutting it down and putting their own message up until you pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to have it released.

If you want to get an immediate jump on securing your site, I have put together a simple checklist called, “The WordPress Security Checklist: 7 “Common Sense” Tips to Keep you from Getting Hacked.”

I hope you will download it below and let me know if you have any questions.

P.S. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

[optin-cat id=649]