Starting a business means juggling countless priorities. Between product development and marketing, website security often gets pushed aside. But that oversight can be expensive. A June 2025 study found that 87% of small businesses are concerned about cyber threats over the next year, and 83% believe their risk has grown in just the past 12 months.
For new entrepreneurs, that risk is real, and often self-inflicted. Simple mistakes in how sites are built create openings that hackers exploit daily.
Pete Cannata, COO of Atlantic.Net, a leading global managed hosting and cloud services provider, sees these vulnerabilities constantly. “Most startups don’t realize how exposed they are until something goes wrong. Data breaches, defaced homepages, and drained payment accounts all happen because basic security steps were skipped during launch.”
Below, Cannata breaks down the six most common website security mistakes new entrepreneurs make.
The 6 Mistakes That Leave Startup Websites Vulnerable
1. Using Weak or Outdated Payment Gateways
Payment processing is where money changes hands, and where hackers look first. New entrepreneurs sometimes choose the cheapest payment solution available or integrate outdated gateways that lack modern encryption standards.
“If your payment gateway doesn’t support tokenization or PCI DSS compliance, you’re asking for trouble,” Cannata says. “Customers enter their card details, and if that data isn’t properly encrypted or stored, it becomes an easy target.”
Hackers can intercept transactions, steal card numbers, or exploit vulnerabilities in legacy payment systems. The result? Chargebacks, legal liability, and a destroyed reputation before your business even gets off the ground.
2. Failing to Install SSL Certificates
An SSL certificate encrypts data transferred between your website and its visitors. Without it, any information submitted through forms (passwords, email addresses, payment details) travels in plain text.
“If your site doesn’t have HTTPS in the URL, visitors should run,” Cannata notes. “But more importantly, search engines penalize unsecured sites. You lose traffic and trust simultaneously.”
A lot of hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt, yet some entrepreneurs skip this step entirely. It takes minutes to set up and prevents a world of problems.
3. Ignoring Software and Plugin Updates
Websites built on platforms like WordPress rely on themes and plugins to function. When developers discover security flaws, they release updates. Ignoring those updates leaves known vulnerabilities open.
“Hackers have automated tools that scan thousands of sites looking for outdated plugins,” Cannata explains. “Once they find one, they can inject malware, steal data, or take over the entire site.”
Updates are patches that close security holes. Delaying them by even a few weeks can be the difference between a secure site and a compromised one.
4. Using Default Admin Credentials
Admin panels are the control center of your website. Too many new business owners leave default usernames like “admin” or “user” in place, paired with weak passwords like “password123”.
“Default credentials are the first thing attackers try,” says Cannata. “It’s like leaving your front door unlocked with a sign that says ‘Welcome’.”
Brute-force attacks, where bots try thousands of username and password combinations, succeed far too often simply because entrepreneurs haven’t changed the defaults. Strong, unique credentials combined with limited login attempts make a massive difference.
5. Relying on Cheap or Free Web Hosting with Poor Security
Budget hosting might save money upfront, but it often comes with shared servers, minimal security monitoring, and slow response times when attacks happen.
“Free or bargain hosting providers don’t have the infrastructure to defend against DDoS attacks or provide adequate firewalls,” Cannata points out. “Your site might load, but when a hacker targets the server, you’re collateral damage.”
Investing in a reputable hosting provider with built-in security features, regular backups, and 24/7 monitoring is foundational.
6. Not Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a second verification step when logging into your website’s admin panel. Even if someone steals your password, they can’t access your site without the secondary code sent to your phone or email.
“MFA stops about 99% of automated attacks,” says Cannata. “It’s one of the easiest security measures to implement, and yet so many startups skip it.”
Most platforms offer MFA plugins or built-in options. Turning it on takes five minutes and dramatically reduces your risk of unauthorized access.
Pete Cannata, COO of Atlantic.Net, commented:
“New entrepreneurs often think cybersecurity is something they’ll handle later, once the business grows. But hackers don’t wait for you to scale, instead targeting vulnerabilities the moment your site goes live. The good news is that most of these fixes are straightforward and affordable.
“Start with the basics: install an SSL certificate, use a reputable hosting provider, and turn on multi-factor authentication. Update your plugins regularly and choose payment gateways that meet modern security standards. These steps don’t require a technical background or a large budget.
“Security involves making your site harder to breach than the next one. Hackers look for easy targets. Don’t be one.”
