Backups and Firewalls: The ultimate website security duo

Cyberattacks, data breaches, and server failures can strike at any moment, putting sensitive information and business continuity at risk. While firewalls block malicious traffic and prevent unauthorized access, backups ensure that your website can be quickly restored if disaster strikes. Together, backups and firewalls form a robust security duo, offering both protection and recovery. 

In this guide, we will explore why backups and firewalls must always work together and how their integration ensures maximum website security.

What is a backup?Link to heading

A website backup is a complete copy of your website’s files, database, and configurations, stored separately to ensure recovery in case of data loss, server failure, or cyberattacks. Backups act as a safety net, allowing website owners to restore their site to a previous, clean state if it is compromised or accidentally deleted. Without proper backups, recovering from malware, ransomware, or technical errors can be time-consuming, costly, or even impossible.

Types of website backups:

• Full Backup: Captures all files, databases, and configurations of your website in a single snapshot. This method provides the most comprehensive protection but can take longer and use more storage.
• Incremental Backup: Only copies the changes made since the last backup. This approach is faster and uses less storage while still providing effective recovery options.
• Cloud Backup: Stores backup copies on remote servers, typically provided by hosting services or third-party platforms. Cloud backups protect against local server failures and provide easy access for recovery from any location.

What is a firewall?Link to heading

A firewall is a security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on pre-defined rules. Its primary role is to block malicious traffic, prevent unauthorized access, and protect the website from attacks such as hacking attempts, DDoS attacks, and malware injections. Firewalls can operate at different layers, from application-level protection within the website to external network-level defense.

Types of firewalls for websites:

• Plugin-Based Firewall: Installed directly on the website (e.g., Wordfence for WordPress). These firewalls filter traffic within the website and protect against common threats but may be less effective against zero-day attacks.
• Cloud-Based Firewall: Hosted by a third-party service (e.g., Cloudflare WAF), which filters traffic before it reaches the website server. Cloud-based firewalls provide distributed protection and reduce server load.
• External Firewall: Operates entirely outside the website, blocking suspicious traffic before it reaches the server. This approach prevents malicious requests from ever interacting with the website, providing superior protection against advanced attacks.

Why firewalls alone are not enoughLink to heading

Limitations against zero-day attacksLink to heading

Firewalls are highly effective at blocking known threats using predefined rules, signatures, or patterns of malicious activity. However, they have inherent limitations when it comes to zero-day attacks - new, previously unknown vulnerabilities in software, plugins, or themes. Hackers can exploit these vulnerabilities before security vendors or firewall providers have had a chance to create rules to block them. 

For instance, a newly discovered WordPress plugin flaw may allow malware injection that a traditional firewall cannot detect, because it has no prior record or signature to recognize. This means that even with a firewall in place, a site remains exposed to novel attacks that target unpatched weaknesses.

Risk of internal threats and human errorLink to heading

While firewalls protect against external attacks, they cannot prevent damage caused by internal threats or human mistakes. For example, an administrator with weak credentials could be tricked into granting malicious access, or an employee could accidentally upload an infected file to the server. Hackers who gain access via compromised accounts, phishing attacks, or stolen credentials can bypass the firewall entirely, executing harmful actions from within the network. 

Additionally, configuration errors, such as improperly set permissions or overlooked security settings, can create vulnerabilities that a firewall alone cannot address. This highlights why relying solely on firewalls is insufficient - comprehensive website security requires additional layers, such as regular backups, monitoring, and strict access control, to mitigate both internal and external risks.

>>> Learn more: WordPress firewall vs antivirus

Why backups alone are not enoughLink to heading

Recovery takes time without preventionLink to heading

Backups allow you to restore a website after an incident, but this process can be time-consuming and disruptive. If an attack occurs, you first need to identify the infected files, remove malicious code, and then restore the website from the backup. During this downtime, visitors may encounter errors or security warnings, leading to loss of trust, revenue, and potential search engine penalties. 

In contrast, preventive measures like firewalls block malicious traffic before it reaches the site, reducing the risk of an attack and minimizing the need for time-intensive recovery. Without prevention, backups alone cannot stop the operational or reputational damage caused by cyber threats.

Data loss between backupsLink to heading

Backups capture your website’s state at a specific moment, which means any changes made after the last backup are vulnerable. For example, posts, user registrations, transactions, or configuration updates created between backup intervals could be lost if the site is compromised. This “time gap” creates a window where data loss can occur, leaving the site partially incomplete after a restoration. 

Regular and frequent backups can mitigate this risk, but they still cannot prevent attacks from occurring in real time. Combining backups with proactive measures, such as firewalls and intrusion detection, ensures both protection and continuity of data.

Best practices for integrating backups and firewallsLink to heading

Creating a coordinated process between backups and firewalls ensures that your website is protected not only from data loss but also from ongoing cyber threats. Below is a professional approach with clear strategies and practical examples.

The 3-2-1 backup strategyLink to heading

The 3-2-1 backup rule is a widely recognized best practice for safeguarding critical website data. It involves:

• Three copies of your data - One primary copy and two additional backups.
• Two different storage formats - For instance, one on a physical external hard drive and another in a cloud storage service.
• One off-site backup - Keep at least one copy completely separate from your primary server to protect against local disasters, server crashes, or ransomware attacks.

Example: You could store your main website data on your hosting server, a second copy on a secure cloud service like AWS S3, and a third on an encrypted external storage device kept at a separate location. This ensures that even if your server is compromised, a safe copy of your website is always accessible.

Real-time firewall protectionLink to heading

A firewall protects your website by filtering and blocking malicious traffic before it reaches your server. Implementing a real-time firewall strategy involves using both:

• Cloud-based WAF (Web Application Firewall) - Sits outside your website, filtering traffic at the network level, blocking DDoS attacks, malicious bots, and suspicious IPs.
• Endpoint WAF - Operates directly on your server to monitor for abnormal activity, unauthorized access attempts, and suspicious file changes.

Example: Services like W7SFW provide this dual-layer protection. The cloud WAF blocks threats globally before they touch your website, while the endpoint WAF ensures that any bypassed traffic is caught locally. This combination reduces both downtime and the risk of data loss between backups.

Regular dry run testsLink to heading

Even with backups and firewalls in place, you must regularly test your recovery process to ensure that backups are usable and data integrity is intact. This is known as a dry run.

Steps:

1. Restore a backup to a staging server instead of the live site.
2. Verify that all pages, databases, and media files function correctly.
3. Check that security configurations and firewall rules are active.
4. Document any issues and adjust the backup or firewall process accordingly.

Example: Schedule a quarterly dry run where a copy of your website is restored to a testing server. Ensure all plugins, themes, and forms work correctly, and that no malicious scripts are present. This practice confirms that your 3-2-1 backups are effective and ready for emergencies.

>>> Learn more: 20 WordPress hardening best practices for maximum protection

ConclusionLink to heading

Backups and firewalls are complementary tools that, when integrated, form the ultimate defense against cyber threats. Backups guarantee data recovery, while firewalls block malicious traffic before it reaches your server. Investing in this coordinated approach not only mitigates risks but also strengthens user confidence, preserves business continuity, and enhances overall website resilience.