Understanding Website Security: Complete Beginner’s Guide for Nairahost Users
If your website is online, someone will eventually try to hack it — this guide teaches you how to stay safe even if you’re not technical.
Introduction: Why Security Matters
Most people think only big companies like banks or Facebook get hacked. That is 100% false. Hackers target small websites MORE often — because small site owners usually don’t secure them.
⚠️ If your website is online, it is ALWAYS under attack — even if it’s small, even if it has no traffic.
Hackers use automated bots that scan every domain on the internet, including yours. If your site has weak passwords, outdated plugins, or bad file permissions, it can and eventually will get hacked.
What Hackers Want
Hackers rarely care about your content. They usually want:
- To send SPAM using your server
- To host phishing or scam pages
- To steal your email reputation
- To redirect your visitors to scam sites
- To add malware to steal credit cards or crypto
- To get access to your hosting for later attacks
This means your site can be abused even if you don’t store passwords or private data.
Common Ways Websites Get Hacked
- Weak passwords (admin/admin, 123456, qwerty)
- Outdated WordPress or plugins
- Malicious themes or nulled themes
- No SSL certificate
- Incorrect file permissions
- No firewall
- Owner downloaded malware on their PC
???? Most hacks are not “hacking skills” — they are simply exploiting lazy security.
Basic Website Security Checklist
| Security Action | Why it Matters |
|---|---|
| Use strong passwords | Prevents brute-force entry |
| Enable 2FA for logins | Stops stolen password attacks |
| Use SSL (HTTPS) | Protects login & user data |
| Keep CMS & plugins updated | Closes known vulnerabilities |
| Install security plugins/firewall | Blocks attacks automatically |
| Take backups | Lets you restore if hacked |
Hosting Security: What Nairahost Provides for You
Nairahost includes server-side security features by default:
- Firewall & brute-force protection
- Real-time malware scanning
- Account isolation (other users can’t affect your site)
- Free SSL certificates
- Latest PHP & security patches
- Secure nameservers
- cPanel: ns1/2.nairahost.cloud
- DirectAdmin: ns1/2.nairahost.com.ng
Security Steps You Must Take Yourself
- Use strong passwords
- Update WordPress regularly
- Use only trusted plugins/themes
- Remove unused plugins
- Limit admin access
- Enable 2FA in WordPress or cPanel
What Happens If You Get Hacked?
You might experience:
- Website disappearing or replaced with spam
- Google warning “This site may be unsafe”
- Your hosting suspended
- Email blocked by Gmail & Outlook
- Visitors redirected to scam websites
⚠️ Once Google blacklists your domain, it can take weeks to recover.
Prevention is much easier than recovery.
Essential Security Tools for Beginners
- Wordfence (WordPress firewall)
- iThemes Security
- WP Security Audit Log
- Google reCAPTCHA
- UpdraftPlus (Backup)
Simple Weekly Security Plan
- Update plugins/themes
- Change or rotate password
- Check firewall logs
- Verify backup exists
