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Common Website Security Issues and How to Fix Them

Quick Answer: The most common website security problems for small businesses are: missing SSL certificate (no HTTPS), outdated WordPress plugins and themes, weak admin passwords, missing HTTP security headers, and unsecured contact forms. Most can be fixed without a developer in under an hour using free tools.

Here's something most website security guides won't tell you: your website doesn't have to be famous to be attacked.

Hackers don't manually browse the web looking for interesting targets. They run automated bots that scan millions of websites looking for known vulnerabilities — outdated software, weak passwords, missing security headers. When they find one, they exploit it. Your business name and industry are irrelevant.

The consequences can range from embarrassing (your contact form used to send spam) to devastating (your site de-indexed by Google, customer data compromised, or your domain blacklisted).

This guide covers the most common website security problems, how serious they are, and what you can actually do about them.

Why Small Business Websites Are Targeted

Larger businesses have security teams and dedicated IT infrastructure. Small business websites — built on shared hosting, running outdated WordPress installs, with default passwords still in place — are significantly easier targets.

Hacking isn't always about stealing data. Common goals for attacking small business sites include:

  • Using your server to send spam email — your domain appears legitimate, making spam harder to filter
  • Redirecting your visitors — sending people who click your Google listing to unrelated or harmful sites
  • Installing cryptomining software — using your server's processing power to mine cryptocurrency
  • Phishing pages — hosting fake login pages for banks, PayPal, or other services
  • SEO spam — injecting links to unrelated sites to boost their rankings (this tanks yours)

Most of these attacks are invisible to you. You'll only discover something's wrong when Google flags your site, customers report strange behavior, or your email deliverability suddenly drops.

The 8 Most Common Website Security Problems

1. No SSL Certificate (HTTP Instead of HTTPS)

If your website URL starts with http:// instead of https://, you don't have SSL/TLS encryption. This is the baseline security requirement for any modern website.

What happens without it:

  • Browsers show "Not Secure" warnings that scare visitors away
  • Data submitted through your forms is transmitted in plaintext
  • Google gives ranking preference to HTTPS sites
  • You're more vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks

How to fix it: Most hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt. It should be a one-click install in your hosting control panel. If your host charges for SSL, consider switching to a more modern provider.

2. Outdated Software

This is the #1 attack vector for WordPress sites. The moment a vulnerability is discovered in WordPress core, a plugin, or a theme, automated bots start scanning for sites running that version.

In 2024, over 90% of compromised WordPress sites were running outdated software at the time of the attack (source: Patchstack WordPress Security Report 2024).

What to check:

  • WordPress core version
  • All installed plugins (including inactive ones)
  • Your theme and any child themes

How to fix it: Enable automatic updates for WordPress core and plugins. Review your installed plugins quarterly and remove any you're not actively using. Inactive plugins with known vulnerabilities are still vulnerable.

3. Weak or Default Admin Passwords

"admin", "password123", your business name, your name — these are guessed within seconds by brute-force attack tools. Many hosting control panels and content management systems come with default credentials that users never change.

How to fix it:

  • Use a password manager to generate strong, unique passwords (16+ characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols)
  • Change your WordPress admin URL from /wp-admin to something custom
  • Enable two-factor authentication on your CMS and hosting account
  • Limit login attempts to prevent brute-force attacks

4. Missing Security Headers

HTTP security headers are instructions your web server sends to browsers telling them how to handle your site. They prevent many categories of attacks including cross-site scripting (XSS), clickjacking, and content injection.

Common headers that should be present:

  • Content-Security-Policy (CSP) — controls what resources the browser can load
  • X-Frame-Options — prevents your site from being loaded in an iframe (clickjacking)
  • X-Content-Type-Options — prevents browsers from guessing file types
  • Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS) — forces HTTPS even if a visitor types HTTP

Most small business websites are missing these entirely. They're not visible to users, so they're easy to overlook.

How to fix it: Security headers are typically configured at the server level. On WordPress, plugins like Wordfence or the aptly-named "Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP" can add them. On Apache or Nginx, they can be added to config files or .htaccess.

5. Exposed Admin Pages

Many content management systems, hosting control panels, and database tools (like phpMyAdmin) are accessible at predictable URLs. If your WordPress admin login is at yourdomain.com/wp-admin with no rate limiting, it's being attacked constantly.

How to fix it:

  • Restrict access to admin pages by IP address if possible
  • Change the WordPress admin URL using a plugin
  • Use Cloudflare or a similar service to add IP-based access controls
  • Enable two-factor authentication on all admin accounts

6. Unsecured Contact Forms and Input Fields

Any form on your website that accepts user input is a potential attack vector if not properly secured. Common form-based attacks include:

  • SQL injection — entering database commands into form fields
  • XSS (cross-site scripting) — injecting malicious JavaScript
  • Email spam — using your contact form to send spam through your mail server

How to fix it:

  • Use reputable form plugins that handle input sanitization
  • Add CAPTCHA or similar spam protection
  • Never use custom-coded forms without understanding SQL injection prevention
  • Check that your form processing code sanitizes and validates all input

7. No Backup System

Not having backups isn't a vulnerability in itself, but it turns any security incident from inconvenient to catastrophic. If your site is compromised and you have no recent backup, you may lose everything.

How to fix it:

  • Set up automated daily backups through your hosting provider or a plugin
  • Store backups off-site (not just on your server)
  • Test your backups periodically — a backup you can't restore is worthless
  • Keep backups for at least 30 days so you can restore to before a hack occurred

8. Mixed Content

If your site has HTTPS but still loads some resources (images, scripts, stylesheets) over HTTP, you have "mixed content." Browsers may block mixed content or show security warnings, and the security benefits of HTTPS are partially negated.

How to fix it: In WordPress, use the "Really Simple SSL" plugin to catch and fix mixed content. Or update your CDN settings to force HTTPS for all asset delivery. Check your browser console for mixed content warnings when browsing your site.

How to Do a Quick Security Check

You don't need to be a developer to check the basics:

1. Check your SSL certificate: Look at your browser address bar. Is there a padlock icon? Does the URL start with https://? Click the padlock to see certificate details and expiry date.

2. Check your WordPress version (if applicable): Log into your WordPress admin and look at the bottom of the dashboard. Is it up to date? Check Plugins → Installed Plugins for any showing update notifications.

3. Test your security headers: Visit securityheaders.com and enter your URL. It gives you a letter grade and shows which headers are missing.

4. Check Google's Safe Browsing: Visit transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search and enter your domain. If Google has flagged your site for malware or phishing, you'll see it here.

5. Run a full audit: Tools like Unsnag check all of the above — plus performance and SEO issues — automatically, and explain what you need to fix in plain English.

Run your free security audit at unsnag.tech →

What To Do If Your Site Has Been Hacked

If you discover your site has been compromised:

  1. Don't panic, but act quickly — every hour your site is compromised is another hour Google can de-index it
  2. Take your site offline if possible — prevents the attack from spreading or harming visitors
  3. Restore from a clean backup if you have one
  4. Change all passwords — hosting, CMS admin, FTP, database
  5. Scan for malware using tools like Malwarebytes or Sucuri's scanner
  6. Identify and close the vulnerability before bringing the site back up
  7. Submit a reconsideration request to Google if your site was flagged

If you don't have technical skills to handle this yourself, a security professional or your hosting provider's support team can help.

Security Is Part of a Healthy Website

Security problems don't just create liability — they directly hurt your business. A flagged site gets de-indexed. Slow sites due to cryptomining lose customers. A spam-flagged domain tanks your email deliverability.

Security, performance, and SEO are interconnected. A website audit that looks at all three together gives you the clearest picture of what needs attention.

Check your website's security posture and overall health for free at unsnag.tech →

Results in 60 seconds. Plain English. Prioritized by business impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my website has security issues? Start by checking your browser address bar — your site should show https:// and a padlock icon. Then test your security headers at securityheaders.com (it gives a letter grade). Check Google's Safe Browsing report at transparencyreport.google.com to confirm your site isn't flagged for malware. For a comprehensive check across SSL, headers, and configuration in one report, run a free Unsnag audit.

What are the most common website security vulnerabilities for small businesses? The most frequent issues on small business websites are: missing or expired SSL certificates (no HTTPS), outdated WordPress plugins and themes (the primary attack vector for WordPress sites), missing HTTP security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options), weak or default admin passwords, and unsecured contact forms vulnerable to spam or injection attacks.

Does my website need an SSL certificate? Yes — every website needs SSL. Without it, browsers display "Not Secure" warnings that deter visitors, Google penalizes your rankings, and any data submitted through your forms (contact details, emails, passwords) is transmitted in plain text that can be intercepted. SSL is free through most hosting providers via Let's Encrypt and takes less than 15 minutes to enable.

How do I know if my WordPress website has been hacked? Signs include: Google showing a warning when people try to visit your site, visitors complaining of redirects to unrelated websites, your Google Search Console showing manual actions or security issues, your site appearing on Google's Safe Browsing blacklist, or spam emails being sent from your domain. If you suspect a hack, check Google Search Console's Security Issues report immediately.

Can I secure my website without a developer? Yes, for the most common vulnerabilities. Enabling SSL is usually a one-click option in your hosting control panel. Keeping WordPress, plugins, and themes updated requires only clicking "Update." Installing a security plugin like Wordfence (free) adds firewall protection and malware scanning. Security headers can be added with a plugin. The only items typically requiring developer help are server-level configuration changes and fixing compromised custom code.

Related reading:

Categories: Website Security, Small Business Tags: website security, SSL certificate, WordPress security, common security vulnerabilities, secure your website

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