Source: https://www.todhost.com/blog/website-security-a-guide-to-protect-your-joomla-content-management-system.html

Security risks in Joomla releases had been a major concern for website developers and managers. Quite often, you are required to implement security update patches on your website to keep it safe from attackers. It was recently announced that there has been a major security risk in previous versions of Joomla!, and a new version was released. While it is easy to upgrade to the latest version if your ebsite is running on 3 or later, it does require a little more work if you are running a previous version, such as 2.5 or 1.5.

Upgrading your website from Joomla 2.5 or 1.5 to a recent 3x version can be technical and if ot carefully implemented can also break down your ebsite causing a huge problem. But you can carefull follow these guide to safely implement an upgrade for your Joomla website:

How to upgrade your Joomla! version 3 installation:

Back up the current version of your site
Log into Joomla!
Go to Components
Go to Joomla! Update
Click on the ‘Install the Update’ button

Once it’s complete, refresh your browser to see the changes

To upgrade your Joomla! version 2.5 or 1.5 installation:

Back up the current version of your site
Find the update file your need for your installation, that is the Joomla update file
Download and extract the file
Open up the /libraries/joomla/session until you see session.php
Log into your website using FTP or the File Manager in your eXtend Control Panel
Browse to the /libraries/joomla/session folder in your site
Replace session.php with the version you have just downloaded

Once it’s complete, refresh your browser to see the changes

While this only affects Joomla! users, this is a problem that is regularly seen with all Content Management Systems, CMS, – including WordPress, Drupal, and others. An exploit is found, website owners don’t update their software until when their site is hacked.

There are steps you can take to prevent this from happening. They might seem obvious, but many people forget, and end up with major problems down the line.

Never Forget to Take The Followwing Steps:

Update your software regularly

This is one of the most obvious thing you must always do. When WordPress, Joomla!, or any other piece of software tells you there is a new version available, update it. If your software doesn’t inform you there’s a new version out, make an effort to regularly check the software’s website, and see if new versions are released. With Joomla and most popular CMSs, you will alays a notification on the dashboad

Software companies don’t release new versions to make minor cosmetic changes – if they’ve released an update, it’s fixing something that’s wrong, and the more things patched, the safer your system is.

Update your plug-ins

While you might remember to update the main software, you need to make sure you update your plug-ins as well. Plugin incompatibility can be a real problem and is a source of CMS hacks as revealed by Sucuri in its recent securty report on content management systems.

WordPress is great for telling you what needs to be updated, from the main software to your smallest plug-ins to even the translations, but you still need to actively click that “Update” button. And if you have a bespoke plug-in, check with the developer regularly to make certain that you’re using the latest version and that any potential security holes have been patched.

Secure Your Website With the .htaccess file

The htaccess file is a powerful file that can be used to manipulate the behaviour of your website including its security. You can use this file to prevent eploitation and access to vulnerable folders and that will help prevent exploitations on your site.

If it costs money, don’t go hunting for a free version

You find an excellent theme or plug-in, but you don’t want to pay for it. You might think that you can just search for a free version, download, and install it, but many so-called “free” versions will have malicious code embedded right into the theme or plug-in. Install it, and it doesn’t matter how careful you are with your site’s security – you’re already taken.

If the designer or developer has created a free version, they will always have it with the paid version. Only trust the software developer or the theme designer – any other websites offering you a download are suspect.

Always back up your site

Again, an obvious thing to say, but so important. If your site is hacked, a clean backup makes it infinitely easier to check where things went wrong and fix them, rather than trying to restore your site while fixing it at the same time.

Close up of a Home key on a white keyboard

If your site is infected and causing problems on our servers, we may disable your site. Obviously, we don’t want to do that, and we want to work with you to prevent problems, but follow this advice, and, hopefully, you’ll never have a problem.

For those of you preparing to protest.. hope say una ODESHI don dey body

i will be here watching you all on nairaland

una chop belefull

In case you need a professional website, software or mobile app, or to even secure your website, just send me a PM. Or ask after me in the programming section.

h

Life4Varnity:
ss

LEXYCOM:
h

See them as them dey buy land, i am sure they must be Afonjalistic Omo onile jati jati!

Nice info!

Wow, such a useful info More grease op, nice one

Web security has become one of the greatest challenge on the web. Its often neccessary to have a backup and avoid using any 3rd party application that has not been verified or could tamper with the security of your website, Thats why its good to get a web designer that knows his stuff.

For your website design contact www.leksmediaconcept.com . we offer quality website design, visit www.leksmediaconcept.com/portfolio.html for a list of our past project.

Life4Varnity:
For those of you preparing to protest.. hope say una ODESHI don dey body

i will be here watching you all on nairaland

una chop belefull

Bro no fear!
I don fortify them; notin dey happen!

NL mods on some strong kwale igbo this early morning

scarr:
NL mods on some strong kwale igbo this early morning

Why only you?

I want to learn web design

dhtml18:
In case you need a professional website, software or mobile app, or to even secure your website, just send me a PM. Or ask after me in the programming section.

oswaggiee:
Get A SSL Certificate, there are soo many free ones from Reliable Certificate providers like COMODO

SSL certificate does not give you any form of protection whatsover. All it does is ensure that information your web users enter on your site is encrypted so that a third party cannot steal their information. For example, if your site accepts usernames, passwords and/or payment information.

dhtml18:


See them as them dey buy land, i am sure they must be Afonjalistic Omo onile jati jati!

MUGUN

Thanks.