None Shall Pass: Letting Customers Know Your Site Is Secure

Security is a tenuous thing.

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One slip is all it takes. Yahoo, Sony, and many other major companies, hell, even government agencies, have been hacked and their user info pillaged by hackers and handed over to the ravening hordes of Internet. Identity theft may not be a balrog of Morgoth from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, but it’s the first thing on everyone’s minds as soon as they’re asked to do so much as log into a customer forum.

Assuring your users that their data is safe with you when they use your website is crucial in preserving the bond of trust between you. No one, after all, wants to get dragged into the deep places of the earth by the metaphorical spirit of flame and darkness that is keylogging scams. Here are a few ways to let your users know they’re safe.

Credentialing

Some security companies offer inspections and, if the inspected company passes, credentials. Displaying these credentials reinforces your company’s image of security and responsibility, and the need to retain those credentials through subsequent inspections is a great motivator to keep security countermeasures and procedures ship-shape throughout the year.

Pick a credentialing organization that doesn’t just throw passes out in exchange for its fee. The quality that comes with having to work to meet their standards is well worth the extra effort, and an extra outlay of cash. Bogus or laxly-scrutinized credentials will only hurt you and your customers in the long run, no matter how temptingly easy they are to acquire.

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User Authentication

Redundant layers of protection make hackers’ jobs exponentially harder. Crummy passwords might be easy to crack, but obscure personal information is a much taller order. Have security questions tied to user login so that information about birthplaces, childhood friends, and distant relatives acts as a buffer around more easily accessible info like the names of one’s children, pets, and favorite sports teams.

Two-factor authentication requires that users register a phone number to their account. When they log in, the site sends them a text message containing a code they’ll need to complete the login process. This means that unless an ID thief already possesses their victim’s phone or a way to read its contents, breaking into the account is much, much harder.

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Security Software

Protect your site and your users with robust security programs like the suites offered by Bitdefender, ESET, and Vipre among others. Anti-theft software can detect suspicious logins, monitor the number of attempts someone makes to enter a password, lock access to accounts, and log user information. T4me, for example is one of the best-protected and most secure cloud networks on the Internet. Its multiple layers of security programs and authentication processes place it in a class apart from other traffic companies, as it’s the first such company to actively block spam traps, bots, and other forms of digital fraud.

Imagine yourself as Gandalf, a lonely wizard facing down a towering demon, and the narrow bridge over Moria’s echoing depths as the security measures protecting your users. You have one job of material significance, which is to prevent an immortal and malevolent entity from steamrolling you and then devouring your helpless companions. You’d better do it right.