Web Hosting Security - Are you prepared? | Web Hosting Articles & Tutorials

Web Hosting Security - Are you prepared?

In today’s web-based world, hackers and malicious software are the biggest threat to anyone who conducts business online. Viruses and worms have the ability to cripple entire networks while an experienced hacker can penetrate a system and thieve confidential data. Because of this, consumers and online businesses alike are taking proactive steps towards protecting their personal information. Some are conferring with their web hosting providers to ensure that the security measures they implement are reliable.

Security is especially critical in environments where shared and virtual private servers are being used. Not only is important to protect consumers from the common threats associated with the web, but to also protect clients who are sharing the server with potentially malicious users.

One security feature that is often implemented to assure this protection is something known as a cage structure. In a cage structure, every hosting client is assured complete privacy from other users on the server. It uses the “change root” restriction from the Unix operating system which enables the hosting server to behave like a restricted shell. This creates a cage around the hosting server and places boundaries that can’t be accessed by any client. In a cage structure, no user can interfere with the core operations of a server or it’s associated services.

When considering building your site on a shared server you should also inquire about the implementation of binary code in the environment. Unapproved binary code could inadvertently create security gaps in the server and place sensitive customer data at risk. Any application or programming language that has the ability to breach security should be prohibited. A reliable provider will not allow this type of activity if there is even the slightest possibility that it may compromise clients sharing the server.

A reliable provider will also make certain that the deployment of it’s operating system and software are hardened with updates and patches. Such a configuration will ensure that all known vulnerabilities and exploits are eliminated. They will provide continuous security against software exploits by applying the most recent fixes and distributing security advisories to clients on a routine basis.

In order to contain prevalent threats, a web hosting company must commit to sound security measures to ensure protection for their clients. Here is how it can be done:

Ensure that all hardware is physically secure

Ensure that all network services provided by the operating systems are secure

Ensure that the files system is secure from unauthorized access

Ensure that password features are always enabled

Furthermore, companies can implement better security with reliable firewall systems. A firewall could be either a software or hardware component that prevents hackers from gaining unauthorized access to a server. When properly configured, a firewall makes it difficult for an intruder to even locate your system. It will help to ensure that malicious traffic cannot attack or enter the hosting environment. A firewall should also be configured in a manner where attacks can’t be launched from the server. This would prevent outbreaks where infected machines are commanded to attack other systems.

Lastly, it’s a good idea to choose a shared host that provides anti-virus features. Most of the time, a Unix hosting environment will be immune to Windows-based malware. However, it often has the ability to infect a Windows system just the same. For this reason, enhanced security is required at the user-end to prevent the mass creation of infected sites.

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