Why Many Websites Are Insecurely Programmed - A personal perspective from real-world experience

When I talk to people about cybersecurity, I often hear the same sentence:
“Our website is secure. An agency built it for us.”

I understand why many people believe that. A website costs money, and naturally you assume that security is part of the development process.

Unfortunately, reality often looks very different.

In my daily work, I frequently encounter websites that look modern and professional on the surface but contain serious security weaknesses underneath. This usually isn’t because developers intentionally write insecure code. More often, it’s because security simply wasn’t considered from the beginning.

Many web projects are built under tight deadlines. The main focus is making the website look good, work properly, and go online quickly. Security is often treated as something that can be added later.

And that is exactly where the problem begins.

Working does not mean secure

A website can work perfectly and still be insecure.

The login system may function correctly, the webshop may process orders, and the contact form may send messages without problems, yet an attacker could still exploit weaknesses behind the scenes.

A common example is missing security protections in forms. Without proper safeguards, attackers may inject malicious code or run automated attacks against the application.

Another frequent issue is the lack of protection against vulnerabilities such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) or missing CSRF protection in forms.

Many of these weaknesses are invisible to visitors. They only become apparent when someone actively looks for vulnerabilities.

Automated attacks are a daily reality

Another widespread misconception is that hackers manually target individual websites.

In reality, most attacks today are automated.

Bots constantly scan the internet looking for known weaknesses. They search for exposed files, misconfigured servers, outdated software, and other common vulnerabilities.

Server logs often show requests like these:

/.env
/.git/config
/wp-login.php
/phpmyadmin
/admin
backup.zip

These requests are usually not coming from a human attacker but from automated scanning tools.

If a server is poorly configured or sensitive files are publicly accessible, attackers may gain access to confidential information within seconds.

Security is often taken seriously only after an incident

Another common pattern is that companies start thinking about cybersecurity only after something has already gone wrong.

As long as everything appears to work, security is often seen as optional. Only when a website gets compromised or data is lost does the importance of proper security measures become clear.

The reality is that many fundamental security practices are neither complicated nor expensive.

Some basic examples include:
• secure server configuration
• multi-factor authentications, particularly for administrators
• protection against automated login attempts
• secure form handling in web applications
• regular software updates
• logging and monitoring

These measures are not advanced features, they are basic requirements for operating secure systems today.

Security must be built in from the start

In my experience, there is a major difference between two types of web projects.

The first type adds security later.
The second type builds security into the system from the beginning.

The second approach is called “Security by Design.”

This means that security is considered during the architecture and development process rather than added afterwards.
Examples include:
• secure session management
• CSRF protection in forms
• strict Content Security Policy (CSP)
• hardened server configurations
• controlled access permissions
• monitoring unusual activity

When these elements are implemented from the start, the risk of vulnerabilities is significantly reduced.

Security is not a one-time project

Another important point is that security is not something you implement once and then forget about.

New vulnerabilities are discovered constantly. Software evolves, systems change, and attackers develop new techniques.

For that reason, cybersecurity must always be treated as an ongoing process.
Regular audits, updates, monitoring, and improvements are essential to maintaining a secure environment over time.

Final thoughts

Most insecure websites are not the result of negligence, but of missing awareness.

Developers understandably focus on design, functionality, and deadlines. Security often becomes a secondary concern.

But in a world where automated attacks happen every minute, insecure systems can quickly turn into serious problems.

That is why security should never be treated as an optional add-on.

It should be a fundamental part of modern web development from the very beginning.

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