To keep your email and website connections as secure as possible, we recommend using the following protocols…

Websites

Install an SSL certificate on your website and always access it via ‘https://’ in your browser. That will ensure all your connections are encrypted and can’t be intercepted and used by third parties – especially relevant for control panel or admin purposes. If you run a WordPress site, you can use a security plugin to ‘force’ all traffic through SSL for added protection.

All our hosting accounts have a free basic SSL Certificate installed, which will automatically renew itself when required as long as your domain points to the server.

Email

When you set up your email accounts, always specify ‘SSL/TLS’ connections to ensure your messages and passwords are encrypted. Log into your hosting control panel to get the recommended settings.

WordPress

Use a security plugin such as iThemes Security or WordFence. They will discourage hackers from gaining access to your site and database. When you have one running, you’ll be amazed by the number of attempted logins you’ll be stopping!

Passwords

Don’t use a password which has a combination of real words or names. They can be cracked really easily. Choose a random combination of uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers. Throw some special characters in there too if you can.

Don’t be tempted to use the same password for multiple purposes. If a hacker gets in by guessing or finding your password, they’ll try it on other sites too.

Use a password management system such as LastPass or KeePass. They’ll enable you to use multiple complicated random passwords with little effort. You’ll only need to remember one master password to gain access to the system.

Never set up your WordPress site using the default ‘admin’ username. That would be doing half the hacker’s job before your site is even up and running. Choose something meaningful but more difficult to guess.