Website security is one of the parts of maintenance which are easy to overlook. It is critically important that your website stays safe, but if you don’t have a checklist (or hire a support tech) it’s possible to forget to check whether your website is secure.

Fortunately, you can start to correct that oversight in just a few minutes.

One easy way to check your website’s security is to use Sucuri’s online malware and security scanner. It is free to use, comes widely recommended, and is offered by a company which can be trusted not to trick or cheat you.

All you have to do is submit your website’s URL at sitecheck.sucuri.net, and Sucuri will check your site for malware and spam, whether the site has been blacklisted, and whether it is running outdated software.

They’ll show the results in an easy to read list which will tell you if you have any problems. This site, for example, passed all the texts (except for the firewall check):

If you find a problem with your site, your best option is to bring in a security expert. (I know a lot about WordPress and running a website, but even I will hire an expert to solve my security issues.

I would recommend Sucuri, but I have heard good things about their competitor Sitelock. Your web hosting company might also be able to recommend a company, but you should be careful about who you hire.

Some companies pass themselves off as security experts but are actually out to cheat you, or even worse: they want to infect your site with malware.

I know this might be hard to take to heart when in the middle of a security crisis, but caution is in order. trusting the wrong company, or acting rashly, can make the problem worse.

image by jfcherry