Website Security Basics

A practical course for people who own or manage websites and need to understand the most important security foundations.

Course Overview

Your website is often the public front door of your organization. Security basics help keep that front door trustworthy. This course explains HTTPS, security headers, DNS, admin access, backups, and safe website maintenance.

What You Will Learn

Why HTTPS matters.
How browser security headers help protect visitors.
Why DNS affects trust and availability.
How backups reduce recovery time.
How to prioritize website security fixes.

Lesson 1: HTTPS Is the Baseline

HTTPS encrypts traffic between visitors and your website. It helps prevent interception and tampering. Public sites, contact forms, login pages, and payment pages should always use HTTPS.

Lesson 2: Security Headers Add Browser Protection

Security headers tell browsers how to safely load your site. They can help reduce clickjacking, content sniffing, unsafe resource loading, and unnecessary data sharing.

Lesson 3: DNS Must Be Managed Carefully

DNS points your domain to the correct website and email services. Old DNS records, weak registrar security, and poor email authentication can create real risks.

Lesson 4: Admin Access Needs Discipline

Protect admin panels with strong passwords, MFA, limited accounts, and immediate removal of old users. Do not share administrator logins.

Lesson 5: Backups Are Part of Security

Backups help recover from mistakes, malware, failed updates, or hosting issues. A backup is only useful if it can be restored successfully.

Practical Checklist

Confirm your site redirects from HTTP to HTTPS.
Check for missing security headers.
Review DNS and email authentication records.
Update CMS, plugins, themes, and server components.
Confirm backups are current and restorable.

Quick Quiz

1. Why should sensitive pages use HTTPS?

2. What do security headers tell the browser?

3. Why are old DNS records risky?

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