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5 Reasons External Content is Bad For Security

You’ve setup your brand new website and installed your SSL certificate. Then disaster strikes.The dread suddenly hits you as you see the little padlock changes to Grey with a Red Stripe. Don’t worry, we’ve all done it.

You’ve embedded or linked to external content, this will certainly destroy the security you’ve worked hard to create.

Here are the Top 5 Reasons that using External Content is Bad for the Security of your website:

1. It can break Encryption

Various types of content you’ve embedded, will cause your Web Server to stop encrypting the data it sends to Clients.  Because of this, user accounts may be vulnerable to Man In The Middle (MITM) attacks.

2. It can slow down your Website

External data will rely on the speed of those external servers to complete loading of the page and content. Therefore, a slow server will decrease your search rankings and site speed.

3. SEO will suffer

Search Engines look for unique and interesting content.  Embedding a picture from another site will duplicate the results. Because of this, the Search Engine to mark down your ranking.

4. Errors and Incompatibilities

The standard for web content security in 2018 is SSL/STARTTLS. So when you’re SSL isn’t working properly, P2P Federation and Application API’s rely on this underlying security to exchange information.

5. Customers and Users Peace of Mind

A Green Padlock instills confidence in a platform. Even if it’s only superficial, it’s enough for users to accept the minimum security measures have been met.

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EdTech Geek

Server administrator, solutions architect, developer, EdTech enthusiast, and park-time geek.

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