The internet has greatly increased the operational scope of a company or organisation. The technology revolution may have greatly simplified daily living, but it has also exposed people to dangers they had never faced before. The fact that everyone can access the internet, which is its
greatest benefit, is also its worst drawback. Nowadays, anyone can access websites and programmes and, if they so choose, attack them for their own gain. Due to these security risks, best practises for web security, such as those recommended by Sitefinity, are now more important than ever.
Web applications require strong defences because they are particularly susceptible to security risks. People who use web applications like Sitefinity CMS are thus constantly thinking about how to harden the software and implement Sitefinity web security best practises. By utilising the proper tools, methodologies, and industry best practises, an organisation can harden the security of their system in several different ways. The idea is to reduce security gaps in infrastructure, firmware, computer systems, and software while maintaining high usability standards. In this article we will have an in-depth look at one such security feature rolled out by Sitefinity which are user groups.
Best security practices
The attack surface of a computer system, piece of software, or website grows as it performs more tasks, increasing its susceptibility. Users with complicated and multifaceted needs include e-commerce companies. Their systems serve a variety of purposes and have a large attack
surface, so they need to be protected. In comparison to a system that performs more functions, one that performs fewer functions is more secure. Therefore, cutting back on features and turning off unused ones will increase site security.
Hardening is the process of minimising the attack surface on which a computer system can be compromised. In this preventative control technique, the software lowers the likelihood of vulnerability before a potential assault. A large portion of virtual security is hardening. It serves as an additional layer of security to safeguard sensitive data, including end-user and corporate information. The end goal is to reduce the likelihood that a malicious cyberattack may damage software, hardware, or data.
The Sitefinity Web Security Module
The web security module of Sitefinity enables customers to set up HTTP security headers, redirects, and referrer validation for the highest level of defence against intrusions. Additionally, the software offers HTML and SVG sanitization to protect users from potentially harmful HTML and even XSS assaults as well as user input. Content sniffing, cross-site scripting, clickjacking, data theft or modification in transit (man-in-the- middle), and code injection are examples of possible attacks. Additionally, defence against attacks like Open Redirect and Cross-site Request Forgery is offered by the internal redirect and referrer validation procedures. The Sitefinity web application and the data of its users are protected from a variety of attacks thanks to these best practises for Sitefinity web security.
The Sitefinity CMS system transmits HTTP headers to browsers so that they can set up and activate their built-in security measures. As a result, a solid shield that protects open assault surfaces is formed. The platform additionally monitors any web service calls and reroutes traffic to invalidated domains. The user is still mostly responsible for configuring hardening, though. The Sitefinity web security module and all of its capabilities should not be turned off by anybody other than authorised users. Therefore, administrators should create permissions and access- based controls to prevent this.
User Groups for Sitefinity
Well, it is probably quite pertinent for any multinational company to be running multiple sites. The Sitefinity DX User Groups function mandates that a minimal number of people should have access to client information, which aids in adhering to security and privacy laws.
Businesses frequently have various teams under the same management group for various business regions. A global marketing team, for instance, can be made up of numerous regional teams. The EMEA Lead Generation team is in charge of the EMEA region, and the APAC Lead Generation team is in charge of managing form submission data on the APAC website. By using user groups, you can make sure that each member of your marketing team only has access to the data that pertains to them. The Progress Sitefinity DX User Group feature helps businesses meet security and privacy regulations.
Privacy Laws
The GDPR is the world’s harshest and strictest security law (General Data Protection Regulation). The EU’s citizens have a right to privacy under GDPR. Data protection and privacy standards and regulations were first discussed in 2016 and passed into law in 2018. Despite the fact that it is an EU rule, it applies to any organisation that collects data, provides goods or services to EU citizens, or both. GDPR violations result in severe fines and penalties that would harm any firm.
There are currently seven data protection principles that organisations must abide by if they do business with anyone in the EU to meet regulations, they are:
- Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency: processing must be lawful, fair, and transparent to the data subject.
- Purpose limitation: You must only process data for the legitimate purposes that were explicitly stated to the data subject when the data was collected.
- Data minimization: you should collect and process only as much data as is absolutely necessary for the purposes specified.
- Accuracy: You must keep personal data accurate and up-to-date.
- Storage limitation: You may only store personally identifiable data for as long as necessary for the specified purpose.
- Processing must be done in such a way as to ensure appropriate security, integrity, and confidentiality (e.g., by using encryption).
- Accountability: The data controller is responsible for being able to demonstrate GDPR compliance with all of these principles.
Any employee who makes choices or manages the personal data being collected, such as a Lead Generation Manager or a Digital Marketing Manager, is referred to as a data controller under GDPR terms. And in accordance with rule 7 above, data controllers must guarantee compliance.
Conclusion
Businesses should aim for a fundamentally secure arrangement like the one provided by Sitefinity, and from there, further protection should be applied. Cybersecurity hardening and improvement are ongoing processes. System security needs to evolve in tandem with threats if it is to remain relevant and useful. Users can safeguard their data and confidentiality by optimising their systems and adhering to security best practices.