— Australian-owned web design
wDWeb Design Centre
Website security · the part nobody plans for

Don't wait until your
site gets hacked.

Defaced homepages, malware warnings, Google blacklists — it happens to small Australian businesses every day, almost always to sites running old, unpatched code. Here's how it happens, and how we keep yours safe.

01 · How sites get hacked

It's automated, and it's usually avoidable.

01

Out-of-date software

The number-one cause. Bots scan the web for known holes in unpatched CMS cores, themes and plugins, then walk straight in. A site nobody's updated in months is a sitting target.

02

Weak or reused passwords

A single reused admin password from a leaked database elsewhere is often all it takes.

03

Dodgy plugins & pasted code

Free 'nulled' plugins and copy-pasted snippets from random forums are a classic way to invite malware in.

04

No SSL, no backups

Without HTTPS, data can be intercepted; without backups, a hacked site can mean starting from scratch.

02 · What a hack costs you

More than a bad day.

  • Your homepage defaced with someone else's message
  • Visitors shown a red 'this site may harm your computer' warning
  • Google blacklisting you — traffic and rankings gone overnight
  • Customer trust and sales lost in a single afternoon
  • Ransom emails demanding payment to 'undo' the damage
How we keep you safe
  • Hand-built sites with a smaller attack surface
  • Security & software patching kept current
  • Free SSL (HTTPS) on every site, auto-renewed
  • Regular backups so recovery is quick
  • Australian team watching over our hosting
  • Honest advice — we'll tell you what's actually risky

It's all part of our lifetime maintenance — included free on every plan.

03 · Questions

Website security, answered.

01 Why would anyone hack a small business website?
Almost no attacks are personal. They're automated — bots scan millions of sites looking for known weaknesses, mostly out-of-date software, and exploit whatever they find. A small local site is just as likely to be hit as a big one.
02 Aren't hand-built sites safer than a big CMS?
Generally, yes. A lean, hand-built site has far less of the plugin-and-theme machinery that attackers target. Fewer moving parts means a smaller attack surface. Where a site does need a platform (like a WooCommerce store), we keep it patched and backed up.
03 What happens if my site does get hacked?
On a maintained site with current software and backups, recovery is usually quick — we restore a clean copy and close the hole. The danger is an unmaintained site where the breach goes unnoticed and there's no backup to fall back on.
04 I got an email saying my site is infected and demanding payment — is it real?
Usually it's a scare scam. Don't pay or click anything. Forward it to us and we'll check the facts before you act. Real issues we'd spot and fix as part of maintenance.
Sleep easier

A site that's built and kept safe.

Worried about an old site, or want a new one done right? Tell us about it for a free quote.