The most common website security threats in 2025
Cybersecurity is more important than ever. Websites play a central role in many businesses – from e-commerce and customer service to marketing and business operations.
Unfortunately, the number of cyber attacks is increasing every year. In 2024 the Center for Cybersecurity raised the threat level for destructive attacks, and analyses shows, that Danish companies are experiencing a significant increase in attacks.
The website is often the face of a company, but it is also a vital part of their IT infrastructure. If it is hacked, it can lead to lost revenue, disruption to operations and damage to reputation. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the threats that lie ahead and how you can best protect yourself.
What causes a website to be hacked?
Most hacker attacks on websites don't happen randomly – hackers exploit specific vulnerabilities. They constantly scan the web for websites running on older versions of CMS systems, plugins or themes. Outdated software often contains known security holes that hackers can easily exploit.
Additionally, many companies (and Danes in general) still use simple passwords or reuse their passwords for multiple systems. This makes it easy for hackers to guess the passwords or gain access via brute force attacks.
There may also be a risk that employees or administrators will be tricked into granting access via phishing attempts – that is, through fake emails or links.
Regardless of how hackers gain access to a website, they exploit the access to install malware, steal data, or use the website to spread malicious code to others. Therefore, it is also important that you know how to identify and fix these weaknesses so that you can reduce the risk of hacking.
What are the most common security threats to websites in 2025?
As technology evolves, hackers become more sophisticated. Here are the most common threats and how to protect yourself from them:
Websites running on outdated systems are often vulnerable to attack because hackers are aware of and exploit known security holes in older software. Hackers use compromised websites to spread malicious content, such as advertisements for illegal services or phishing links, because it helps them avoid detection by search engines and security systems. If your website suddenly links to questionable sites, it can negatively affect your SEO and credibility.
How do you discover it?
If your website suddenly contains malicious links to casinos, spam, or other unwanted pages, it could be a sign that hackers have exploited vulnerabilities in outdated plugins or themes.
How do you protect yourself?
Always keep your CMS, plugins and themes updated to the latest version. In addition, you should remove unused or unknown plugins, as they can often pose a security risk. Use a security scanner to detect potential vulnerabilities.
Hackers can create fake versions of your website to trick customers and employees into entering sensitive information, including login credentials or credit card details. These fake versions of your website often look identical to the real website and are therefore used to steal data.
How do you discover it?
Customers or employees can report that they have been redirected to a suspicious version of your website, but this requires them to notice that the website has changed URL or suddenly looks different.
How do you protect yourself?
Monitor your domain activity to detect copycat sites, and implement DMARC for emails so hackers can't send fake emails in your name.
Ransomware is a type of malware where hackers lock down your website or its data and demand a ransom to release it. This can mean your website becomes inaccessible to both customers and employees, leading to loss of revenue and trust. Attacks can be automated or targeted at specific businesses, depending on their vulnerabilities.
How do you discover it?
Typically, ransomware is detected quickly as the website becomes inaccessible and a message from the hackers appears demanding payment. However, in some cases, there may be a delay where the malware first encrypts files in the background before becoming visible on the website.
How do you protect yourself?
The best protection against ransomware is to take regular backups of your website and store them safely offline or in a cloud solution. In addition, you should always keep your CMS, plugins and server software updated, and implement strong firewalls and antivirus solutions.
With the right server security solution, you can also prevent ransomware, as the solution monitors system behavior for suspicious behavior in real time. This allows ransomware to be updated and blocked before data is at risk of being encrypted.
DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service, and it is a method where hackers send huge amounts of traffic against your website with the aim of overloading the server, making the site unavailable. DDoS attacks are often used as blackmail or to damage a company's reputation and operations.
How do you discover it?
The first signs of a DDoS attack are significantly slower loading times or complete downtime. If your server logs show an unusually high volume of requests from many different IP addresses, this could be a sign of an ongoing attack.
How do you protect yourself?
To protect yourself, you should use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) with DDoS protection, such as Cloudflare or Akamai. In addition, advanced firewalls and traffic filtering can help identify and block suspicious activity. By implementing a good server security solution, you can protect your website from DDoS attacks and prevent server overload by detecting and blocking malicious traffic in real time.
SQL injection is an attack method where hackers insert malicious SQL commands into input fields in, for example, login forms or search fields, in order to gain access to your database. This can give hackers the opportunity to steal sensitive information or manipulate data.
How do you discover it?
A sign of SQL injection can be unexpected changes to the database or a sudden exposure of sensitive information. In some cases, the website may start behaving strangely or display error messages that reveal database queries.
How do you protect yourself?
By using parameterized queries in your code, you can prevent user input from manipulating the database. In addition, you should always validate and filter input so that it cannot contain malicious SQL commands. You can also implement an extra layer of security with a server security solution that can help monitor system behavior and block suspicious SQL commands in real time.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a vulnerability where hackers insert malicious scripts into your website, which are then executed in visitors' browsers. This can be used to steal login credentials or redirect users to malicious pages..
How do you discover it?
XSS attacks can be difficult to detect, but users may experience suspicious behavior, such as unexpected pop-ups or altered content. Security scans can also help identify potential vulnerabilities.
How do you protect yourself?
The best protection is to validate and filter all user input so that malicious scripts cannot be inserted. An advanced server security solution can handle this by monitoring system behavior for suspicious activity and blocking malicious scripts. Additionally, a security header such as Content Security Policy (CSP) can help prevent XSS attacks.
General security tips for websites
Whether you run a small business or a large e-commerce platform, it is important that you implement the necessary security measures – both to protect business-critical data and user trust.
By taking a few basic precautions, you can significantly reduce the risk of hacking, data leaks, or crashes. Here are some of the most important steps you should implement::
- Keep software updated
Always use the latest versions of your CMS, plugins and server software. Updates close known security holes that hackers can otherwise exploit. - Enable 2FA
Strengthen security on login pages by requiring two-factor authentication (2FA). This makes it much harder for hackers to gain access, even if they get a password.. - Take regular backups
Have an up-to-date backup of your website so you can quickly restore it in the event of a hacker attack or technical failure. Store backups both locally and in the cloud for extra security. - Monitor the website
Use security tools to detect suspicious activity, such as unauthorized login attempts or unexpected changes to the website. If you detect suspicious activity early, you can prevent major damage.
What to do if your website has been hacked?
It can be a stressful experience when a website has been hacked. To minimize the damage, it is important to react quickly - the faster you react, the greater the chance of limiting the consequences and getting the website back online safely..
There are therefore some things you should do if your website has been hacked:
- Take the website offline to prevent further damage
- Identify the attack – what happened and how?
- Restore a backup and make sure to close the identified security hole
- Implement better security measures
If you are unsure about how to handle the process after a hacker attack, it is a good idea to seek professional help. At itpilot, we can help you identify the attack, clean the website of malicious files, etc., and implement strong security measures.
Data leak management
In the event of a personal data breach, you must report the incident to the Danish Data Protection Authority within 72 hours. If personal data has been compromised, you have a duty to inform the affected individuals as soon as possible so that they can take precautions (e.g. change passwords or monitor their bank accounts).
Read more about reporting a personal data breach here ->
Do you need help?
If you need help protecting your website from potential hacker attacks, or to restore your website after a hacker attack, please contact us. Call us on +45 87 25 07 87 or fill out the contact form.
