Website
Optimisation
Support
Training
Blog
db8
Portfolio
Reviews
Contact
HTTP Security Headers: Improve the security of your website
HTTP Security Headers are digital security measures that websites can take to ensure that visitors can visit the website safely.
HTTP Security Headers are a set of instructions that a web server sends to a web browser to add additional layers of security to the way a web page loads. These headers help protect websites from various types of attacks and generally improve the overall security of a web application.
Implementing these headers according to best practices helps increase the overall security of a website and reduce its exposure to various security risks.
Some important HTTP Security Headers
For the sake of completeness, we provide a brief technical explanation of the most important headers and what security measures they provide to ensure the integrity and security of a website.
X-Content-Type-Options
The X-Content-Type-Options header prevents a browser from performing MIME sniffing on a response content. This reduces the risk of certain types of attacks, such as MIME sniffing attacks. By adding this header, a website can tell the browser to respect the received content and not try to guess or change it.
X-Frame-Options
With the X-Frame-Options header, the website determines whether a browser can load the web page in a <frame>, <iframe>, <embed> or <object>. This helps prevent clickjacking attacks, in which an attacker tries to trick a user by placing an invisible frame over a legitimate website to steal sensitive information.
Referrer Policy
With the Referrer-Policy header, the website determines what information about the origin of the request is included in the HTTP referer header. This helps protect user privacy by preventing sensitive information, such as URLs and query parameters, from being exposed to external websites. By implementing a strict referrer policy, a website can minimize the amount of information shared with external sources.
Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
HSTS is an important header that ensures that a web browser only connects to a website via HTTPS instead of HTTP. This reduces the risk of so-called "man-in-the-middle" attacks. By implementing HSTS, a website can enforce that all communications are encrypted and that users always use a secure connection.
Permissions Policy
The Permission-Policy header allows websites to indicate which browser features they want to restrict or allow. This helps reduce potential security risks by disabling unnecessary features. This header allows website owners to specify the access they need to certain features, such as camera, microphone, geolocation, etc., and ensure that only trusted sources have access to these features.
Content Security Policy
The Content Security Policy (CSP) determines which resources, such as scripts, styles and images, can be loaded and from where. This reduces the risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. By adding a CSP header, a website can indicate which domains and resources are trusted and which are not, blocking malicious scripts and external resources.
Implement HTTP Security Headers on your website
By properly implementing these HTTP Security Headers, website owners can significantly improve the security of their websites. However, it's important to remember that adding these headers is only part of an overall security strategy. It's also essential to perform regular updates and patches, use strong passwords, and follow other web security best practices.
Our results
We strive to organize customer websites as well as possible, so that securityheaders.com gives an A rating. Our own website has an A rating, which shows that we take the security of our websites seriously.
Would you like to know more about HTTP Security Headers? And how we can secure and protect your website against various security risks?
