Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

February 27, 2009

Four Critical Web Hosting Security Features

Security is a vital aspect whether you are running a personal or business website.  Hackers are on the prowl and if your site and hosting environment is not secure, you could be hit with excessive downtime or worse, have all of your confidential information stolen.  It all sounds grim, but getting yourself a secure hosting solution doesn't have to cost you a fortune.  The key is knowing what to look for and understanding which security elements should come as standard features.

SSL Support

If you plan to sell products and services from your website, SSL is a security feature you can't be without.  Short for Secure Sockets Layer, SSL is an encryption protocol that creates a secure tunnel between you in the web server.  This means that instead of sensitive information, such as login and credit card details, traveling over the internet in plain text, data is scrambled in a way that ensures it will not be compromised, even if intercepted by an intruder.  Although most web hosting providers offer free shared SSL certificates, you may want to find a company that allows you to purchase and incorporate your own private certificate for enhanced security.

Intrusion Detection

While most web hosts protect their networks with firewalls, not all of them are properly managed, a factor that can result in a wide range of attacks on the server.  A company that is serious about security will maintain redundant firewall components and also allow you to directly or indirectly make adjustments to the rules.  For instance, if your site begins to experience a significant amount of malicious traffic, the web host should give you the ability to add the IP addresses of malicious visitors to the firewall ACL (access control list).  You can take security one step further by signing up with a host that offers an IDS or Intrusion Detection System.  Though similar to a firewall, IDS gives you tighter security as its method of packet filtering digs deeper to halt attacks before they reach the server.

DDoS Protection

Short for Distributed Denial of Service, DDoS is one of the most basic attacks yet also one of the most severe and difficult to prevent.  This type of exploit can slow down a web hosting provider's entire network along with each website hosted on the same node.  So even if an attacker is only trying to bring down a single site, all customers can suffer if they are hosting on a shared server.  Anti-DDoS technology is now implemented into newer firewalls and routers, a feature neither you nor your web host can afford to sacrifice.

Spam Filtering

Most people don't view spam as a threat but it is that type of thinking that can lead to disaster.  Aside from hogging system resources and slowing do the server, these messages often carry viruses, worms, Trojans and other types of malicious software.   If it isn't a harmful program, it is a well crafted scam where someone purports as a legitimate company in attempt to steal your personal information and assets.  The spam filter has become a common web hosting feature and one you need in any type of solution.

Conclusion

Security features should standard with every web hosting plan but unfortunately, they don't.  This is why it is so important to do your homework and find a company that puts the customer first by practicing sound security.

Tags: secure hosting,  malicious traffic,  worms,  web hosting security,  viruses,  Trojans,  SSL,  IP address,  hosting security,  spam,  security elements,  security,  hackers,  firewall,  DDoS