Have you heard the phrase "security by obscurity"? It’s the idea that hiding something makes it safer. Perhaps you’ve applied this thinking to your website:

"We’re just a small business."
"We don’t store credit card data."
"We haven’t changed anything in years, so we’re probably okay."

Keeping a low profile isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a little like locking your front door but leaving all of your curtains wide open.

The reality though is that web security have little to do with how interesting your business is to attackers.

Modern Web Attacks

You may already know this, but the vast majority of website attacks are completely automated. There’s no one in a Guy Fawkes mask sitting at a keyboard specifically targeting your consulting firm or manufacturing company. Instead, bots are constantly scanning the internet, looking for vulnerabilities anywhere that they can exploit.

These bots really don’t care if you’re a Fortune 500 company or a local law firm. They’re not necessarily after your customer database or trying to steal your trade secrets. What they’re really after is a bit more mundane and that’s what makes just about any website a potential target.

Here’s what attackers are really after:

Server resources to mine cryptocurrency or host illegal content
Your website as a launching pad to attack other sites
SEO spam injection to boost rankings for completely unrelated sites
API keys and credentials that give them access to other services
Add your site to a botnet for distributed attacks

Here’s another way to think of it: criminals aren’t breaking into cards because they want your specific car. They’re looking for any unlocked car (or easy to break into car) that they can use for their purposes.

"We’re Too Small" Is a False Sense of Security

Thinking "we’re too small to be a target" assumes that someone is making a conscious decision to attack your specific business. Sure, it can happen, but by and large your business size is irrelevant to automated attacks that don’t discriminate.

The same logic applies to the "we don’t have e-commerce" defense. Attackers aren’t necessarily trying to steal your non-existent customer payment information. What they’re generally after is your server’s processing power and internet connection.

The Hidden Costs of Compromise

When we think about website security breaches, we often focus on data theft. After all, when a big one hits the news, the focus is often on what the attackers took, which is often thousands, if not millions, of customer records. But frankly, those kinds of attacks are targeted. Most attacks aren’t and the real costs of a compromised website go far beyond stolen information:

Reputation damage can take years to repair, especially when your site starts serving malware to visitors or it gets blacklisted by Google.
SEO penalties can destroy years of search engine ranking progress when your site gets flagged for hosting spam content.
Clean up costs are almost always higher than prevention costs, often requiring emergency developer time and potentially rebuilding entire sites.

Another analogy: you wouldn’t skip regular maintenance on your delivery fleet because "they’re still running fine". You understand that preventive maintenance costs less than dealing with a breakdown on the highway. Your website deserves the same consideration—it’s a business asset that requires ongoing care.

Simple Steps Forward

Alas, there’s good news: you don’t need to become a security expert (or hire one) to significantly improve your website’s safety. Here are some impactful steps any business can take:

Keep everything updated. This is non-negotiable. Outdated software is like leaving your keys in your car’s ignition. Most automated attacks target known vulnerabilities in outdated web software.
Use strong, unique passwords for all your website accounts. Yes, all of them. A password manager makes this painless.
Keep regular backups that are stored separately from your website. Your web host or web developer can do this for you if you’re not sure how. Think of the backups as your insurance policy.
Work with developers who priority security and understand that the cheapest option often costs more in the long run.
Budget for ongoing website maintenance. Just like any other asset in your business, website require regular care and updates to function safely and effectively.

Security as a System, Not a Secret

Security by obscurity isn’t wrong—it’s just incomplete. Keeping a low profile is a useful layer in your security approach, but it can’t be the only layer.

The most secure websites combine multiple strategies: they stay updated, use strong authentication, maintain regular backups, and avoid unnecessarily broadcasting their technical details.

As I mentioned earlier, your website is a valuable asset that deserves the same thoughtfulness and maintenance as your other equipment and systems. The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in proper security—it’s whether you can afford not to.