In connection with the #NoHacked initiative, Google published the results of a study on website security in March 2017.
The number of successful website hacks in 2016 increased by over 32% compared to 2015.
Google blames this on two developments: on the one hand, hackers are becoming more active and aggressive, and on the other hand, there are more and more insecure websites (content management systems and shop systems) on the internet.
Read five reasons for you to enter into a service agreement...:
- Updates to the applications, components, modules and plugins you use bring not just security-related benefits. In most cases, updates also include a higher functional scope, more comfort in operation, faster delivery times or improvements in layout and design! For example, a calendar component could be updated to introduce a new responsive theme, which would significantly improve the display and usability on mobile devices. An update could perhaps also display an OpenStreetMap map for calendar entries. This would improve the display, usability and functionality.
- Experience shows that the cost of fixing a hack exceeds the cost of a service agreement. If personal data is stored on your website or in your online shop, you as the operator are also obliged to inform your customers about the incident after a hack for data protection reasons.
- A hack of your website is not always recognisable in the browser. If a website has been recognised and classified by Google as insecure and potentially dangerous, a warning is initially displayed in the search results. In a further step, your website will be completely removed from the Google index. As part of a service agreement with me, I store your website in the Google Search Console and thus immediately receive information about possible security problems on the website. This means I can at least react quickly in the event of a hack despite the current patch level.
- Legal situation: In 2015, the IT Security Act came into force and added another paragraph to the Telemedia Act. According to Section 13 (7), operators of websites or online shops are obliged to "ensure through technical and organisational precautions that no unauthorised access to the technical equipment used for their telemedia services is possible and that these are secured against disruptions, including those caused by external attacks." Failure to take appropriate measures can result in a fine of up to €50000. By the way, "technical equipment" not only refers to the software you use (i.e. content management system or shop software), but also the server environment of your hosting provider. If this is compromised by the hack, you may also face high claims for damages.
- Problems can occur when installing security updates. It can happen that they are not displayed at all, or that errors may occur during installation that a layperson is guaranteed unable to rectify. With my know-how, however, I can always fix such problems easily and your website will always be free of errors at the latest patch level promptly after the release of security updates.
I offer the Service Agreement for a minimum of €288 plus VAT per year (payable in advance). It includes the prompt installation of updates for CMS or shop system. In addition, the ongoing administration of the hosting environment with regard to security and optimum speed (PHP version, php.ini settings, SSL certificates, etc.) and updates for components, modules or plugins of the CMS or shop system. If you use a lot of third-party extensions in your CMS or shop system, I may have to calculate a higher price for the service agreement, depending on the additional work involved.
Excluded from the service agreement are major updates, which make extensive data migrations necessary for CMS, shop system or extensions, or when adjustments to the design (i.e. theme or template) become necessary. Such work must be billed separately.
