Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

February 04, 2010

Protecting Your Online Business With Secure Web Hosting

The internet is open to anyone with a computer and a wireless card nowadays, as one need not even have a personal connection to access the world wide web. Cyber criminals can log on from just about anywhere in the world with their laptops and wreak havoc on unsuspecting virtual victims. Unfortunately, this is how the hackers view you – as a virtual victim, not as a real person with a family to support and a business to uphold.

Indeed the internet offers a marketplace of guilt free crime, where thieves can have their fun without ever seeing the face of their victims. However, just as these cyber criminals are oblivious to the lives of their victims, so are the victims oblivious to the existence of the hackers. Some business owners are not oblivious, they'd just rather not think about it. Putting your website's security aside can have seriously dire consequences.

Ensuring Customer Safety

One of the primary concerns web host's have in regards to website security is customer safety. Maintaining trust within the online shopping format is crucial towards building a successful business. There have been cases where the customer was defrauded and the website owner was blamed for this fraud, and cases like this have even resulted in the loss of business and even unjust incarceration.  To avoid such a drastic mishap, it is important to select a web host that is serious about their commitment to security.  Make sure you have an active SSL certificate for your site at all times, and you may even want to post the certificate seal on your website to instill trust in your customers and to deter hackers.

Quality Data Encryption

A common security issue online is identity theft. With all of the important information that is floating around in cyber space, this type of crime is inevitable, yet entirely preventable. All that is needed to prevent the interception of crucial information is quality data encryption. Every web host includes a certain level of data encryption with their hosting plans, but if you're running a business then you may want to consider the strongest form of encryption available. Talk with you web hosting provider to find out about the strongest data encryption service they offer.

Minimizing Vulnerability

You may notice that your web hosting plan comes with a control panel that has an integrated application installation utility. It is important that you don't get carried away installing third party applications. It is a well known fact that a lot of these applications leave your site extremely vulnerable to attack, and therefore the use of these applications should be limited. You should also make sure all of your passwords are strong and contain a mixture of numbers and letters. If you use a simple password, a hacker can us a brute force program to guess the password systematically. A good program can crack a simple password within an hour or so, leaving the entire back end of your website open to intrusion.

Tags: virtual victims,  SSL certificate,  secure web hosting,  online shopping,  hackers,  fraud,  defrauded,  data encryption,  cyber criminals,  customer safety,  brute force,  web site security