Right now, automated bots are scanning your website for vulnerabilities. They're checking your login pages, probing your contact forms, and looking for outdated plugins they can exploit. This isn't fear-mongering – it's the reality of website security in 2025.
If you're using our hosting and security, you're already protected against many common threats. However, website security often seems like a maze of technical complexity and costly solutions for most Australian business owners.
💡 2025 Alert: Website attacks have become Australia's primary vector for data breaches. Content management systems (CMS) are the most targeted entry point, surpassing 76,000 in a single year.
Understanding website threats in 2025
While the Optus and Medibank breaches dominated Australia’s headlines, cybercriminals aren't just targeting corporate giants. Hackers are increasingly targeting small and medium-sized Australian businesses.
Why?
Because attackers know that smaller businesses often lack the robust security measures of larger corporations while still handling valuable customer data, the payoff might be smaller. Still, the success rate is much, much higher.
Automated attacks
According to the ACSC's threat report, every 6 minutes, another Australian business reports a cyber attack. Most of these aren't sophisticated hackers targeting specific businesses - they're automated bots constantly scanning for common vulnerabilities such as:
WordPress installations
Plugin systems
Contact forms
Login pages
Shopping carts
File upload functions
So how are they doing it?
Unfortunately, there are many different types of attacks on your website. Below, we’ve made a table outlining some of the most common website attacks, how they work and how they can impact your site:
Attack Type | Description | Impact |
A technique where attackers insert or manipulate SQL queries through input fields or URLs to gain unauthorised access to the database. This exploits vulnerabilities in database handling. | Unauthorised access to sensitive information such as user data, financial records, and personal details. Attackers can alter, steal, or delete data. | |
It involves injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. This is often done through input fields like comments, forms, or user profiles, exploiting trust in the website. | Theft of user credentials, hijacking of user sessions, and displaying unwanted or harmful content to users. | |
Attackers alter the visual appearance of a website, replacing legitimate content with their messages, images, or links. This often signifies more profound security vulnerabilities. | Damage to the website's reputation and credibility, potential loss of user trust, and increased risk of further malicious activities or malware installation. | |
An attack that overwhelms a website with excessive traffic from multiple sources, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users. | Prolonged website downtime, loss of revenue, diminished user trust, and potential reputational harm. | |
Installing malicious software into a website's code or server can then infect visitors or compromise data. This can occur through vulnerabilities or compromised credentials. | Compromised user security, data breaches, potential legal repercussions, and loss of trust from users and stakeholders. | |
Creating fraudulent websites or forms that mimic legitimate ones to deceive users into providing sensitive information such as login credentials or financial details. | Data theft, financial loss for users, and erosion of trust in the website or organisation. | |
Utilising automated tools to attempt logins on a website using stolen usernames and passwords obtained from other breaches, exploiting the reuse of credentials by users. | Unauthorised access to user accounts, data breaches, potential identity theft, and increased security management burdens. | |
Exploiting vulnerabilities that allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on the server, gaining control over the website's backend and infrastructure. | Full control over the website and server, data theft or manipulation, and potential for deploying further malicious activities or malware. | |
Intercepting and potentially altering communications between the website and its users, often through unsecured networks or compromised systems. | Data interception, altered or injected communications, compromised user trust, and potential data breaches or manipulation. |
So, now we know exactly what is targeting your site, what can we do to actually deal with it? Below, we have broken down a list of tasks you can get on with today.
Website-specific protection
1. Keep your CMS updated
Whether you are using WordPress, Joomla, and or some other CMS platforms – they often regularly release security updates to ensure that your site from the backend is protected. Where does this often go wrong? When the user isn’t updating the site.
[maybe include a screenshot of a WordPress update]
We’ve put a table together to help you monitor exactly what you should be looking for and when to do it. Sure, updates aren’t always convenient, but do you know what’s more inconvenient? All your website data being compromised.
Update Type | Frequency | Risk Level |
Core CMS | Monthly | Critical |
Plugins | Weekly | High |
Themes | Monthly | Medium |
2. Form Protection
Your website's forms are prime targets for attackers seeking to exploit vulnerabilities, you can add some protection to them by adding the following:
Add CAPTCHA systems - you will have seen these before when you’re trying to complete a puzzle in order to complete a task (e.g. click on all the ‘bicycles’), this helps stop those automated bots from attacking your site.
[screenshot of CAPTCHA]
Input validation - ensure that the information entered into your forms meets specific criteria before it’s processed (don’t just let anything get accepted). For example, checking that an email address is in the correct format or that a password includes a mix of letters and numbers. Input validation helps prevent malicious data from being submitted.
[screenshot of input validation]
Rate limiting - control the number of times a user can perform a specific action within a set timeframe. For instance, limiting the number of login attempts from a single IP address can prevent brute force attacks where attackers try numerous password combinations to gain unauthorised access.
[screenshot of rate limiting]
Honeypot fields - add hidden fields to your forms that are invisible to human users but detectable by automated bots. For example, you might include an extra field that should remain empty; if it’s filled in, it’s likely a bot submission.
[screenshot of honeypot fields
3. File Upload Security
Likewise, if your website accepts file uploads (e.g. uploading documents, images etc.), you need additional prevention and protection in place:
File type restrictions - only allow specific types of files to be uploaded to your website. For example, restrict uploads to formats like JPEG, PNG, and GIF if your site only needs images. Limiting the types of files that can be uploaded reduces the risk of malicious files being introduced to your system.
[screenshot of file type]
Size limitations - set maximum file size limits to prevent huge files from being uploaded. Large files can consume significant server resources, leading to performance issues or even denial of service.
[screenshot of size limitations]
Malware scanning - set up malware protection to automatically scan all uploaded files for malware before they are stored or made accessible. Use reliable antivirus and anti-malware software to detect and remove any malicious code embedded within files.
[screenshot of malware scans]
Secure storage configurations - store uploaded files in safe locations with strict access controls. Ensure uploaded files are not executable and cannot be accessed directly via the web. Use directories outside the web root and implement proper file permissions to restrict access.
[screenshot of secure storage]
Hosting-specific protection
After seeing thousands of websites compromised, one thing becomes clear: most could have been prevented with not just the website protection measures above but hosting ones, too. Let's break down the strategies that consistently prove super effective.
Let’s get your website's security started with three fundamental elements:
1. SSL certificates
Think of SSL as a secure tunnel between your website and its visitors. Without it, data travels in plain text – like sending a postcard instead of a sealed letter. Our guide to HTTPS vs HTTP explains why this matters.
Feature | HTTP | HTTPS |
Data Protection | None | Encrypted |
SEO Impact | Lower Rankings | Higher Rankings |
Browser Warnings | Yes | No |
Customer Trust | Low | High |
[Screenshot suggestion: Browser security indicators showing HTTP vs HTTPS]
2. Password protection that works
Weak passwords remain a leading cause of website compromises. Here’s the thing: 3 in 4 people risk getting hacked due to bad password practices. Pretty much everyone knows what to do here. It’s just making sure you do them. But let’s make sure we’re on all the samples. Here's what works:
Require passwords with 12+ characters - the longer and more complex the password? The less chance you get hacked. Mix them up with special characters to avoid being brute-forced.
Force regular password changes - it used to be the advice to regularly change passwords, but this is more of an outdated practice now. The issue is that people used to change their passwords, however, only very slightly, giving a false sense of security. Instead, we recommend using password software like 1Password, and Last Pass to generate brand-new complex passwords, but ones you don’t have to worry about remembering constantly.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) - with 2FA; users must provide a second form of verification, such as a code sent to their mobile device, in addition to their password.
💡 Pro Tip: Use a super strong password generator to generate these requirements automatically (https://www.strongpasswordgenerator.org).
Have you already been compromised? Check out: “Have I Been Pwned?” You might need to update your password sooner than you think:
