With each passing day, the threat of security breaches to public facing digital platforms is only increasing. Nothing is safe, be it the corporate websites, a SaaS application or an e-commerce platform. However, much of the risk is minimized if the underlying platforms are fundamentally more secure. Drupal is one of the robust WCMS platforms that is built grounds up with Security and Performance in mind. It not only deploys the best industry practices when it comes to security, but it also has the most responsive community that rigorously and continuously performs security tests and rapidly provides patches and security measures to respond to vulnerabilities.
Valuebound has been among the Top 10 Global Contributors to the Drupal ecosystem and has a dedicated Drupal Security Center which continuously monitors the security aspect of Drupal and develops solutions to help the enterprise mitigate their security risks and build compliances around their business continuity process. While it is always advisable to have an expert who works round the clock to manage the Security of your Drupal installations, here are few handy suggestions to make any WCMS deployment more impregnable -
1. Upgrade, Upgrade, and Upgrade
From our experience and expertise in working with large and small Enterprise, we always recommend running the CMS on the latest version of the platform. Because most often, security breaches happen by exploiting vulnerabilities in codes that have not been patched. The Key reasons to upgrade your platform are -
- Upgrading avoids unnecessary expenses incurred owing to a security breach
- Using an outdated version of the platform exposes it to security vulnerabilities
- An update will fix technical issues & bugs
- New and enhanced features and functionalities can be added to the platform
Recently, Drupal has released its latest version - Drupal 8.6 - that includes a wide range of new features like Demo Data, Media Library, YouTube & Vimeo Embeds, Layouts, and Workspaces. In order to add new features and functionalities, we are working with several enterprises to upgrade or migrate their content management system. It should be noted that the older CMS versions are usually targeted as they are more vulnerable.
2. Strong User Management - A Must
Very often, a security breach is an inside job rather than an external hack. Keeping your website safe and sound, therefore, requires strong internal user management. Typically, in an organization, there are various stakeholders who require access to the website in order to manage different areas within it. The security habits of such users can be a potential risk for a security breach.
We recommend limiting account privileges on the need to have basis full access should be given very judiciously and only when it is absolutely required. We also suggest automated or prompt removal of accounts of users who have left the organization.
3. Know Your Hosting Provider
There are a bewildering number of choices when it comes to selecting a hosting provider. Of course, some were good, some were bad, some were good and then turn bad. Pantheon, Acquia Cloud, and Apache are some of the established players offering stable and enterprise-grade hosting services. For Drupal installations, it is always recommended to look for a hosting provider that offers security-first Drupal hosting solution with all the server side security measure like SSL.
4. Encrypt Sensitive Information
We recommend implementing proper certificates that help encrypt sensitive information. Proper deployment of SSL certificates helps protect your users, helps protect you and help you gain customers trust and sell more. Ask your in-house team or Drupal vendor to perform security audits at regular interval as this will allow you to fix the loopholes.
5. Take Backup regularly
Things can go wrong in multiple ways and there is a huge risk of losing all the data in case of security breaches or introduction of critical bugs while making changes or upgrading the platform. Hence it is important to take backup of your platform regularly. There are a host of service providers that offer backup and storage solutions to deal with such eventuality. There are other vendors who provide Backup, storage, and Recovery as managed services. The choice of vendor will depend upon the criticality of your application and the restore points demanded by your business.
Talk to our Drupal security expert to understand your Security Parameters and help you deploy the right Solutions, Tools, Systems, and Process that is just right for you,
Valuebound is deeply steeped in open source movement and specialize in Drupal CMS strategic consulting, development and dedicated managed support for media & publishing, e-commerce, and high-tech companies.
