When you launch a B2B affiliate marketing website and don’t put appropriate security measures in place, it’s the same as leaving the front door of a shop open. Naturally, the cost of protecting a business is cheaper than recovering the costs of a breach. When it comes to operating a website, every single component needs to be secure. Continue reading to find out more. 

Keep Up with the Latest Trends

Cybercriminals are just as innovative with their tactics as manufacturers are with creating new tech, meaning their exploitative methods are constantly growing. Therefore, it’s important to keep up with the latest trends. The best way to do this is by being actively involved with the community and attending Cybersecurity Roundtable discussions hosted by industry experts. As well as this, you will find plenty of networks through social channels including Reddit and Discord. 

Have an SSL Certificate

The goal of an affiliate website is to direct buyers to third-party services, which means a significant amount of information passes through their servers. Therefore, to keep their users safe, all affiliate and eCommerce websites should use secure socket layer (SSL) certification, indicated by the address bar’s padlock. Having this certificate proves that communication through a website’s server is encrypted. 

Use a Firewall

Cybercriminals target websites in an attempt to retrieve personal data and sell it on the dark web. Therefore, it’s recommended that affiliate website owners use a web server firewall (WAF), which tracks traffic and helps to prevent various threats. If you’ve ever browsed the internet and seen Cloudflare human verification checks appear, you’ve seen WAFs in action. 

Only Use Secure Web Hosting Services

The most basic form of affiliate website protection is making sure it’s hosted by a secure provider. To do this, you will need to research the different security systems while shopping around, and look for the following:

• DDoS attack prevention
• SSL provisions
• High-end malware protection
• Operating system stability guarantees
• Reliable backup systems
• A strong firewall on the server

Schedule Backups

Your affiliate website is made up of various files stored on a remote hard drive, which is just as vulnerable to attacks and memory loss as your own hard drive. Therefore, to prevent losing your entire website due to an error or cyberattack, you should schedule regular backups to a reputable cloud storage provider. 

Secure Your Web Servers

If your website is handling sensitive public data, you need to make sure you’re following GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Therefore, if you collect any personal information, you need to ask for permission first and encrypt data before it arrives on your server. If you’re found to be in breach of GDPR, you’ll likely receive an enormous fine; take this Google data protection fine as a warning. 

Keeping an affiliate marketing website secure is essential for avoiding data theft and other malicious attacks. The best way to do this is by implementing the latest security protection measures, ensuring your hosting provider is secure, and following GDPR at all costs.