Web hosting security is a topic that interests government agencies, businesses, and individuals. This is because most people have some online presence. Many people use the Internet to access personal information, like banking and stock trading. It is understandable that people want to make sure that their transactions are as secure as possible.
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If a web hosting security is not taken seriously, it could lead to customer data loss, stolen financial information, and destroyed website content. The following are some tips for securing virtual private server hosting and shared hosting.
Securing Virtual Private Server Hosting
In order to access the information on a website, the website’s files need to be uploaded to a computer known as a web server. Most organizations will purchase space on a web server from a hosting provider.
VPS hosting is the option that people turn to once they have outgrown shared hosting. With shared hosting, there are several websites on the same server. With shared hosting, resources are shared, so there’s no guarantee that one individual or organization will have access to the services that they need.
Virtual private servers allow a set number of users to gain access to resources that have been allocated virtually just for them. This includes hard drive space, process power, and memory. Every user who accesses a virtual private server is accessing a server that allows them to manage their own operating system and make tweaks to the virtual server.
VPS hosting is considered one of the most secure hosting options, and it offers a lot of the same capabilities of a dedicated server for a fraction of the cost. There are several steps that you can take to protect your VPS hosting.
1. Install An SSL/TLS Certificate
The main purpose of the SSL/TLS certificate is encrypting the data that goes from a user’s computer to the targeted website. It provides strong encryption that protects user’s sensitive data from any type of cyberattacks such as phishing scams, or data breaches. It creates a secure environment for both visitors and owners of the website.
According to the Watch Guard report, almost 7% of the top 100,000 sites still support SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0, which are outdated versions of the certificate. Many cybersecurity experts and regulatory bodies advise ditching these versions because their encryption leaves your site vulnerable to threats. The latest version of the certificate is TLS 1.3, which is widely deployed.
Finding a hosting provider that offers a top notch security is a great start, but make sure the web hosting solution you choose offers you the latest version of the SSL/TLS certificate, not only for the security, but for providing a positive influence in Google’s evaluation of your website as well.
2. Create A Unique SSH Login
It’s common for VPS users to use an SSH method when remotely connecting from computer to computer as they log into their services. SSH logins are vulnerable to brute force attacks. A brute force attack is where an individual will use a variety of common passwords to access your server.
Therefore, it’s recommended that you change the default SSH 22 port login password. A secure password should have numbers, letters, uppercase and lowercase characters, and non-alphanumeric characters.
3. Monitor Your VPS Server Logs
Vigilance is key to any successful security endeavor. If you monitor your server logs, you will know what’s going on with your VPS. This will allow you to act if any security issues come up. You should actively monitor traffic levels, resource usage, and user activity. All of this will prepare you to address any issues that arise. It is beneficial to set up email notifications that will warn you in real time of any questionable events.
4. Keep Your Server Malware Protected
You should set up a firewall to protect your server from unwanted traffic. Whether you use a pre-installed firewall or a custom firewall, is not important. What is important is that the firewall is properly configured.
In addition to a firewall, you want to make sure that your site is malware protected. You want to include quality antivirus software on your VPS. This will help you identify suspicious activity and immediately quarantine dangerous files.
5. Protect Yourself from Brute Force Attacks
Creating a strong password is an important first step. But it’s not enough. It is also important that you use tools that allow you to detect and block unwanted logins. There are programs designed to monitor login attempts and then block your cPanel, your WHM, and FTP when too many failed logins happen.
Securing Your Shared Servers From Hackers
Shared hosting is where several websites are housed on the same physical server. The primary benefit of shared hosting is that it is inexpensive. With shared hosting, each website gets a section of the server.
Shared servers may host hundreds of users. With shared hosting, a user can create a database, they have disc space, and they can create email accounts. They share RAM and CPU with others. Shared hosting has several inherent security vulnerabilities that you need to be aware of.
1. Regularly Backup Your Website
It might surprise you that we are linking backups to security. However, as anyone who has had a shared server security breach knows, not having a backup is fatal. When hackers penetrate a shared server and gain access to your website, they wipe out your data. They may bury their malicious code so deep into the foundations of your website that even when you think you have it fixed, it keeps reappearing.
How do you address this? Hit the reset button. Wipe the slate clean. You might lose some data from when you backed up last until now. However, the bulk of your website and your business is secure.
2. Choose A Secure Password
If secure passwords are important on a VPS, they are even more important with shared hosting. If your password is a simple word from the dictionary, hackers can use tools that allow them to perform cryptanalytic attacks. They will check all words until the correct one is found.
Social engineering is being used where people will use social media information, conversations they have with you, and other information they can garner about you to try to guess your password. If the passwords for your website or for your server are simple, you can expect to get hacked.
3. Use A Two Factor Authentication For CPanel
Two factor authentication increases the security of your cPanel account. Besides entering your username and password, you will need to have your smartphone, access to your email address, or some other separate form of identification. Two factor authentication means that even if a person can steal your username and guess your password, they cannot gain access to your server or your website.
4. Use A Secure Connection When Available
You can typically connect to FTP in two ways. One is conventional port 21, or you can use a secure port 21098. If network restrictions do not impede your doing so, it’s better to access your cPanel and your FTP using a non-standard port. There’s no such thing as 100 percent secure hosting. However, by following some of the above-mentioned steps, you can increase your hosting security.
If you are interested in even more technology-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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