One out of every five jobs in the United States is held by a contract worker, according to a poll conducted by Marist and NPR. If this trend continues, freelancers could make up half the workforce by 2027.
While many people freelance as a side hustle, a significant number freelance as their main source of income. In fact, half of all full-time freelancers say that no amount of money would make them definitely take a traditional job. Whether it’s a side hustle or full time, these nontraditional lines of work can account for much, if not all, of a freelancer’s income.
While it’s common knowledge that a successful website is a core component of growing a business, most freelancers are so busy running their business that they can easily overlook website security. Unlike traditional businesses with IT teams to manage their company websites, freelancers are responsible for maintaining their own website security. Faced with rising competition, freelance income is particularly vulnerable to a cyberattack. If a freelancer’s website is defaced, suspended or taken down due to an attack, there are plenty of gig workers waiting to take their clients in the interim.
The Cost Of Overlooking Website Security
Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and freelancers could face just as much risk as enterprise targets. Recent data shows that cybercrime damages could cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021, and that ransomware could attack businesses every 14 seconds by end of 2019. When conducting our Q2 Website Security Insider report, we found that websites experience an average of 58 attacks per day, or one cyberattack approximately every 25 minutes.
Unfortunately, a colleague of mine experienced losing a passive income source firsthand due to cybersecurity-related issues. As a budding developer in 2006, he built a marketplace for WordPress-powered websites and plugins. He watched his traffic steadily increase and decided to monetize some offerings on his site. As the extra income rolled in, he considered leaving his full-time job to work independently. Then his website got hacked, and links across the site redirected to not-safe-for-work (NSFW) content.
Just when he thought he'd cleaned everything up, he stumbled across a backdoor allowing for reinfection. Back then, there were no tools on the market to help clean up WordPress sites. Eventually, he had to offer refunds to his customers and close up shop.
This is just one example of the damage that can be inflicted on unprotected websites. We see similar scenarios happen to hundreds of website owners every day. Whether it’s a suspended website, a blacklisted website or negative SEO impact, the consequences of a breach can sometimes a freelancer out of business. The loss of a business is always hard to stomach — but it’s even more troubling when it could have been prevented with a few simple website security precautions.
How Freelancers Can Protect Themselves
Too often, freelancers might be tempted to put website security on the back burner — and that’s a huge mistake. It doesn’t matter if your trade lies in photography, web development or journalism. If you have a website, you need to take action.
Here are four steps you can consider for improved security:
- Be proactive. In the world of website security, it’s always better to be proactive than deal with the consequences of a hack. This might include keeping website applications and plugins up to date with the latest secure versions. Freelancers should also consider using a malware scanner to help combat evolving threats.
- Consider investing in a web application firewall (WAF) for a website. While a malware scanner catches malware already on the site, a WAF blocks bad actors and malicious bots from a site before an infection can occur. Bad bots can wreak havoc on a freelancer's website, leading to scrapped content, slow load times and crashed browsers.
- Use caution in public. Many freelancers find their perfect working environment at their local coffee shop. However, when working from public Wi-Fi networks, be sure connect through a virtual private network (VPN) to ensure any transmitted data is encrypted. This blocks bad actors from seeing and stealing sensitive data.
- Implement a holistic security strategy. While website security is crucial to protecting a freelance career, it’s not the only cybersafety realm to pay attention to. It may be worth using a holistic strategy to protect your service offerings. While an SSL certificate or antivirus software may not be designed to protect a website specifically, their proactive and consistent use means increased protection against cyberthreats and a reduced likelihood of security-related issues.
Like any industry, the freelance world is competitive. Selling freelance services is an increasingly crowded market, and a website is mandatory for creating awareness, building trust and driving growth. While having a website comes with numerous benefits, there is also a responsibility to protect it. With appropriate security, freelancers can prevent breaches and provide safe experiences for their customers – the people they count on to grow their businesses.
