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Every day web hosting providers spend countless hours trying to secure the transactions and communications of their customers in order to maintain a reputable business reputation online. Likewise, every day thousands of hackers try their hardest to find new exploit so that they can intercept and decode encrypted data, and gain access to the administrative interface of innocent webmasters’ web hosting accounts. Thus, security is not something that should be overlooked when selecting a web host, especially if you plan on conducting e-commerce with your website. The following are three of the most dangerous web hosting security problems that web hosting providers and webmasters have to be aware of on a regular basis.

Financial Fraud

The first and foremost security concern of a hosting company is the protection of financial data that is transferred and stored on their Web servers. The Internet is a gigantic cyber marketplace that has millions of online stores and hundreds of millions of customers shopping at any given point in time. Hackers thrive in such an environment by exploiting any possible loopholes as much as possible. A single security flaw can result in hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars lost in a single day, especially if the integrity of a web server used to facilitate high volumes of e-commerce is compromised. Thus, hosting companies provide state-of-the-art encryption technology to their customers to ensure that their checkout pages are completely secure. Keeping the credit card and payment details of your customers safe at all times should be your primary concern as an online business owner.

System Overloads

One of the oldest, yet most common and troublesome security concerns in web hosting is the dreaded DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack. This attack bares its name because the hacker is actually distributing a denial of service by overloading a web server with massive amounts of traffic or requests within a certain period of time. This causes the web server to temporarily shut down in response to restrictions and limitations put in place by the web hosting provider, in order to ensure that each customer has access to an adequate amount server resources at all times. In other words, if one website or a single web server is using too many server resources at once, it can be shut down. Thus, hackers attempt to send large amounts of requests to specific Web servers in an attempt to cause server downtime, affect the performance of the hosting service, and possibly gain administrative access to the Web servers in the process.

Malicious Scripts

Another serious security problem that web hosting providers have to face on a regular basis is malicious scripting, which has the potential to gather an immense amount of data for hackers and cyber criminals in a short period of time. Usually these scripts are attached to web applications that are used by webmasters to increase productivity and enhance certain website management capabilities. These scripts utilize popular programming languages and platforms such as PHP to send and receive data from webmasters’ websites. Viruses can also be spread on Web servers in a similar fashion, jumping from website to website until a solution is found. When a web server is infected with a virus, many of the websites on the server will attempt to inject a virus onto visitors’ computers, thereby affecting the reputation of the sites. Thus, malicious scripts need to be proactively combated in order to ensure a high quality of service and the safety of web hosting customers.

As a savvy online guru of the 21^st century, then it’s obvious you have numerous accounts that you routinely log into on a daily basis over a cup of morning coffee.  Whether it’s to check company e-mail, back-up web host server files, maintain websites, update blogs, or view the sales of your online e-Commerce venture; each of these tasks requires you to enter a unique username and password before proceeding into your personal account.  Thus, do you ever wonder with so many password demands, is there an easier and safer way to manage your login information without the fear of being hacked?

When it comes to protecting your personal information and ensuring security, the process begins with a unique username and strong password.  While usernames should not be dismissed when it comes to security issues, passwords are the real keys to unlocking unauthorized entry.  Not only does a secure password thwart hackers, but it also prevents unauthorized co-workers or business associates from initially accessing files on your hard drive or web host server without you granted permission.

Consider the essential ingredients of a strong password and ensuring login safety:

• Consist of at least eight various characters; the more, the better!
• Scramble a combination of letters, numbers and symbols.
• Throw grammar rules out the window – mix upper and lower case letters.
• Avoid using common words found in the dictionary.
• Different passwords for different accounts.
• Change passwords frequently.
• Never write down passwords, much less in a conspicuous location.
• Never ever share your passwords with anyone!

Need Help Formulating a Strong Password?

Many online business owners with multiple accounts are discovering the vast benefits of using secure login tools such as random password generators, form auto-fills and secure reminders.  Security experts even recommend that you never use the exact same passwords.  The obvious reasons being if a hacker is clever enough to break into one account, chances are that you’re other accounts with the same password are equally as vulnerable.

As tempting as it may be, also refuse the urge to use the name(s) of your beloved pet, or first high school sweetheart.  To ensure security of your online business affairs, it’s imperative you think outside the hacker’s box!   If you still need help formulating a secure password, consider using the assistance of one of the many readily available online random password generators to help.

A password generator software program takes the time consuming effort required to formulate a uniquely random password and generates secure password in less than five minutes.  The software is considered by many business owners a must-have security tool.

Password Generator software packages can range in prices anywhere from absolutely free to several hundred dollars.   Additional software is available that also helps to organize login information as well as complete auto-fill fields if so desired.   A final buyer’s caveat:  Before purchasing or downloading software, read the user agreements and inquire if you suspect any hidden costs.

Web host security issues should be an integral part of the daily routine and maintenance of your website.   Although e-commerce owners go to great lengths to ensure the protection of valuable data submitted through online transactions, many other website gurus often become complacent when it comes to security issues.  Hackers, on the other hand, remain vigilant for breaches in cyber security premises.

Stealing Identities

Web host hackers are the annoying thorns in the side of millions of website owners on a habitual basis.  For some it’s as irritating as removing spam flooding online forums with tantalizing offers (always too good to be true), while for others it’s as devastating as losing billions in revenue when once loyal customers bail after learning their credit card account information has been shared, and soon after, identities stolen.   Unfortunately, the latter is a more common nightmare than many are willing to admit.  Furthermore, many mailing lists and other subscription services neglect to inform subscribers personal information will either be shared or sold to other companies to expand existing databases.

Weak Passwords in Vulnerable Locations

In order to establish a formidable and reliable online presence, you must protect your endeavor, and respectfully, your customers or visitors.  Creating a strong password is the strongest line of defense when protecting your web host account from hackers.  Opting to use a password generator is often helpful when setting up an account, providing a random string of characters to serve as a unique password.  If you own several web host accounts, it can never be stressed enough to avoid the temptation to use the same login information for the same account just because it may be easier to remember.

Always keep your login information in a safe location and never feel obligated to share.  Such information is usually stored in an encrypted file on a hard drive, however, for optimal protection, password protect the file with yet another generated password.   Although some industry professionals disagree, others recommend keeping the login information in two separate locations in case of an emergency.

Other Cyber Calamities

In addition to the havoc hackers wreck by stealing credit card information and identities, once gained entry into your web host account, the high-tech criminals can effortlessly transfer ownership of your domain(s), modify the existing appearance of your website, embezzle your website’s advertising credits and hijack e-mail lists.

Perhaps a little known fact:  technology advances based on Moore’s law which theorizes each year society’s technological capabilities double.  As a website owner, this means every year you must double security measures to prevent would-be hackers from destroying within seconds an endeavor that took years to build.  With this in mind, although you may have an existing solid password, it should be changed each year to prevent hackers advancing with the times from stealing login credentials.

Albeit, protecting your web host account is easier said than done, however, it’s not an impossible feat.  By applying advanced security measures, along with some common sense, ensures your website is better protected from potential cyber criminals!

The founder of WikiLeaks recently stated the United States is aggressively tracking his organization under a secret and illegal investigation prompted by U.S. officials. This investigation began following the release of 250,000 confidential documents by the organization to the public domain. This release was viewed by U.S. law as espionage.

As of Thursday, December 17^th, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was released from a UK jail after being granted bail. This was following 10 days of imprisonment. He is staying at a friend’s house in Suffolk, UK where his legal defense is also being prepared. The defense is for extradition back to Sweden for charges of sexual assault.

He informed reporters that individuals with a tie to WikiLeaks have been followed around, detained and had their computers seized. He also added that he is 80 percent certain U.S.-based authorities are having him extradited back to the United States to face espionage charges. Assange is worried about this as U.S. officials have been calling for his execution and kidnapping of his staff.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recognized it to be difficult to charge the hackers that have attacked websites of companies which it views against WikiLeaks. These companies include:

• Visa
• MasterCard
• PayPal
• Moneybookers
• PostFinance

Although authorities are searching for this group named, “Anonymous,” it would be difficult to located them and bring them to the United States for trial. Prosecutors would have to acquire subpoenas for different ISP’s and acquire a search warrant to scrutinize hard drives.

However, there have already been two Dutch teenagers arrested in connection with the denial of service (DDoS) attacks on different companies. Unfortunately, there are a number of other hackers across the globe believed to be involved.

Despite Assange claims that the United States is aggressively pursuing him, the fact is he broke U.S. law, ruined the reputations of many U.S. officials and exploited a security gap in homeland security. Officials in many countries believe he will and should get what he has coming to him.

After being tried for various crimes, Assange will eventually be transferred to the United States for prosecution. The evidence is strong against him and his group. Ultimately, the outcome for Assange will not be welcome and desirable. In the meantime, with the release of so many documents, the U.S. Government is going to need to enact damage control to eliminate this breach from the public eye.

Web hosting security can be a real nightmare, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. Hackers are constantly trying to find new ways into your server and are becoming more clever and successful each day.  How can you stop security breaches on your server? We uncover some essential ways within this article.

Services/Ports/Extras

A lot of first time web masters tend to take a machine gun approach to solving problems on their server. This means that instead of enabling one port at a time until something works, they enable everything and leave it that way. This is very dangerous. Leaving a lot of ports and services running on your computer opens it up to attack. It’s crucial that you only enable what you need on your web server. Instead of enabling everything, why not try a quick Google search to find what you’re looking for. The internet is full of information and sometimes can save you from taking the dreaded machine gun approach to problem solving.

Outsource It

Most hosting companies offer a web security package. This may be a good idea for young webmasters as it tends to cut out the burden of staying up to date in the latest security breaches. This option is not cheap, but it can be well worth the price in the end.

Passwords

Change the default passwords on everything. Under no circumstance should you ever leave the passwords as the default for your web server. Hosting companies create the accounts that way because it’s easier for their automation wizards. But, for a hacker, leaving the default password just makes their life easy.  Try and make it a habit to change all of your passwords every two weeks. The general rule of thumb is 14 characters with at least 2 numbers and 2 special characters. This makes it difficult for a hacker to take a “dictionary attack” on your passwords.

FTP

Consider shutting the FTP servers down completely when you don’t need them. It is unnecessary protocol to leave the servers open. In most cases you don’t need it open 24 hours a day after the site is developed. Shutting down the FTP server, except for when needed, is another example of limiting the services running to what is critical for the machine.

This list is not composed of every option you can take to make your web server safer. There are a ton of things you can do to strengthen your security, but these tips do serve as a good starting block. Be sure to constantly check the internet for tips and tricks, updating and improving your web server security.