Sitefinity Hardening and Security Best Practices

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Sitefinity Hardening and Security Best Practices

Providing More Security From Possible Threats

A business or organization’s scale of operations has grown enormously with the internet. The technological revolution may have made daily life so much simpler, but it has introduced threats that people were never exposed to before. The internet’s biggest advantage, that it is accessible to all, is also its biggest disadvantage. Anyone can now access, and if they want, attack websites and applications for their own advantage. These security threats have made hardening and practices like Sitefinity web security best practices more relevant and necessary than ever.

Reducing the attack surface that a computer system can be hacked on is called hardening. This is a method of preventative control in which the software reduces the possibility of vulnerability before a possible attack. Hardening makes up a significant part of virtual security. It acts as a layer of defense to protect sensitive data such as end-user information and business information. The ultimate purpose is to minimize the possibility of a malicious cyber-attack damaging software, hardware, or data.

Sitefinity Hardening and Security Best Practices

Web applications are particularly vulnerable to security threats and need solid fortifications as protection. Therefore, individuals that are using web applications like Sitefinity CMS are always concerned about how they can harden the software and adopt Sitefinity web security best practices. An organization can harden their system security in multiple ways by using appropriate tools, techniques, and industry best practices. The concept is to reduce weak spots in applications, computer systems, infrastructure, and firmware security without compromising on the quality of use.

For eCommerce and Similar Websites

Security Best Practices

A computer system, software, or website’s attack surface is increased when it performs more functions, which increases its vulnerability. Ecommerce businesses are an example of users who have complex and multifactorial needs. Their systems are performing many functions and have a large attack surface that requires protection. A system that performs fewer functions is more secure than a system that performs more functions. By extension, reducing the number of functions by disabling unnecessary ones will improve web security. Sitefinity web application security best practices take this principle into account when hardening Sitefinity CMS. These practices include:

  • Disabling unused software and deactivating services that aren’t needed to reduce the functions and attack surface
  • Inspecting the attack surface and taking stock of the infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities
  • Defining encryption policies and centralizing processes like data management on the CMS and data storage on secure servers
  • Creating and using role-based permissions and access controls to define who can take what actions
  • Closing open network ports
  • Reviewing and changing default system settings as required

Sitefinity Website Security

Cyber-attacks on a content management system like Sitefinity CMS can come from several sources. The attack surface of a web application like Sitefinity is also affected by the configuration of the hardware and the software stack. This means that everything from web and application servers to network devices and operating systems will impact what hardening practices are employed. The platform is also highly specialized and performs a wide variety of functions to deliver an omnichannel experience for users. This unwittingly leaves it with a large attack surface that needs Sitefinity web security best practices.

However, Progress is committed to providing top-notch security features for the Sitefinity CMS. The software is fully compliant with the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA)’s Service Organization Control Standards (SOC 2). Additionally, the company periodically rolls out updates in the form of major versions, service packs, and internal builds. These updates are fully tested and have improvements, bug fixes, and security fixes to stay on top of problems. Sitefinity Web security also lets users configure cookies protection. This lets them set a minimum-security policy for all website cookies.

Features like Site Shield protect under-development websites from unauthorized attacks too. Therefore, Sitefinity web application security best practices guarantee sufficient security, availability, and confidentiality.

Sitefinity Web Security Module

Sitefinity’s web security module allows users to configure HTTP security headers, redirect, and referrer validation for maximum security against attacks. The software also has HTML and SVG sanitization to ward off dangerous HTML and even XSS attacks as well as prevent dangerous user input respectively.

Possible attacks include content sniffing, cross-site scripting (XSS), clickjacking, stealing or modifying data in transit (man-in-the-middle), and code injection. On top of that, the internal redirect and referrer validation processes provide protection against attacks like Open Redirect and Cross-site Request Forgery. These Sitefinity web security best practices eliminate a wide range of threats to the Sitefinity web application and its users’ data.

As for the HTTP headers, the Sitefinity CMS system sends them to browsers (web clients) to configure and activate their built-in security features. This creates a cohesive shield that covers vulnerable attack surfaces. Additionally, the platform filters any web service calls and redirects to domains that are invalidated. However, the main responsibility of the configuration of hardening still lies with the user. Administrators should set permissions and access based controls so that no one except approved individuals can turn off the Sitefinity web security module or any of its features.

Expanding and Scaling your Business with Sitefinity CMS

Is Sitefinity The Right CMS?  

Businesses should aim to have a foundational secure configuration, such as the one Sitefinity provides, and then build up from there. Cybersecurity and hardening are not a one-time, but a continuous, process. The system security needs to evolve with the threats so that it remains relevant and functional. Users can safeguard their data and confidentiality by optimizing their system and staying on top of security best practices.

Sitefinity web application security is one of the most vital and attractive features included within the Sitefinity CMS platform. This feature is one of the reasons that Progress Sitefinity is a prime choice for a content management system for eCommerce businesses to government organizations.

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