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With the advancements in technology, the way in which online users utilize the Internet has dramatically changed in recent years.  Individuals wanting to surf the web in years past were once required to provide their own personal internet connection.  More tech savvy individuals are turning to laptops and other various mobile devices which make it possible to connect to the internet from virtually any location.

With more people turning to laptops and other mobile devices, however, wireless Internet connections are available virtually anywhere.

Along with this convenience, also come additional security risks. Hackers and other cyber criminals now can access the Internet from anywhere as well. Hackers now have easier access and more time to wreck havoc on unsuspecting victims.  Therefore, it’s extremely important to take proactive steps to protect your personal information as well as that of your clients.

Ensuring Your Customers’ Safety

Customers’ safety is always a huge concern of any business, especially those with e-commerce ventures offering products or services to their clients.  It’s essential to maintain the customer’s trust and handle their private information with the utmost protection.

One of the most important things that a business owner can do to prevent any sort of fraudulent activity is to secure a web host that offers a guarantee committed to security. Sites should always have an active SSL certificate.  SSL, which is short for Secure Sockets Layer, helps protect customers by using a two key system to encrypt data. One key is the public key system, which is overall common knowledge.  The second is a key system known only to the recipient of the message or the site administrator. Simply by putting the certificate seal on your website, hackers are often quickly deterred. Additionally, customers are also more trusting of a site that displays a SSL seal.

Web Hosting Security Measures

Data encryption adds greater security. All web hosting providers automatically include some sort of data encryption services with their plans; however, it’s always a good idea to exceed basic encryption services. Ask the web hosting provider what additional options they may have available, and always choose the plan with the best security features for the ultimate protection again hackers.

Web hosting plans also come with the availability of integrated application installation processes from third party providers.  It’s very important to keep any third party installations to as much of a minimum as possible.  The more of these third party applications are installed, the more vulnerable a site becomes to potential hackers.

Another way to reduce vulnerability to hackers is to ensure that your site is protected with a strong password and to ensure customers are well-aware of any signs of fraudulent activities and suspicious e-mails from third parties.  Remember, by protecting your clients is also protecting your company’s reputation and potential profits!

SMTP is short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and is a type of outgoing mail server. Due to the difficulty with maintenance, most web hosting providers do not offer access to simple mail transfer protocols. Also, they can be extremely difficult to defend against hackers and malicious users. Many web hosting companies are also trying to cut corners to save money so SMTP is one of the first areas to eliminate.

The most common email systems can be broken down into two functions:

• SMTP
• POP3

When combined, these two protocols allow users to send and receive email messages across the internet. SMTP performs the functions necessary to send a message from one point or address to another. As a user is sending a message, SMTP confirms that the sender has the right to do so. Then the system sends the outgoing message. If the mail is undeliverable, SMTP sends an email back to the sender notifying them of the failure.

The majority of email systems utilize SMTP to send messages between servers. POP3 or IMAP platforms are then used to retrieve those send messages on the other end. SMTP is also used to send email messages from a mail client to a mail server. These are the reasons for specifying the SMTP and POP3 or IMAP servers when configuring your email client.

Configuring the application correctly will identify which SMTP server is being used for sending outgoing messages and which POP3 or IMAP server is used for receiving messages. To complete this task properly, give your email client access to the SMTP server by stating your IP address.

The user never sees any of these transactions as they are all behind the scenes. The user simply clicks the send button or opens the email and the transfer is complete. With the emergence of IMAP email system technology, SMTP may not be necessary in some cases as it handles both sending and receiving of email messages.

Like POP3, SMTP has been around for quite awhile, specifically since the mid 1980’s. As technology is improving, the need for these types of systems may be diminishing and making way for one that completes all tasks. For instance, the IMAP technology is implementing aspects of POP3 and SMTP and combining them into one easy-to-use package.

The concept behind SMTP working in conjunction with POP3 is simple: one sends the messages and one receives them. Although the mechanics in the coding of these systems can be complex, it makes life much easier for those using an email client.

Keeping your site safe form hackers is one of the easiest parts of being a webmaster, which is why most web hosting security breaches are completely unnecessary and avoidable. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not realize how easy it is for a hacker to obtain their details if they do not follow the three simple steps of web hosting security – password protection, networking, and notifications. The following information thoroughly outlines the process of protecting your hosting account and your web sites using the three aforementioned concepts of web hosting security.

1. Password Protection

To most novice webmasters this aspect of web hosting security often goes overlooked because they don’t understand the advanced methods used by hackers to obtain passwords against a webmasters will. Hackers usually use one of two methods to obtain your password illegally, either through brute force, or through persuasion and solicitation. When done through brute force a software is usually used to either infiltrate your computer and monitor your keystrokes when you type in your password, or a software is used to forcefully hack the account by guessing the password. When persuasion is used the hacker typically tricks you into thinking you are logging into your web hosting account when in reality your are inputting the password into a field on a scam site that is identical to your hosting provider’s This process is known as phishing and is one of the most commonly used tactics by hackers. To prevent your password from being stolen you should choose a secure password that is difficult to remember and contains a healthy mix of numbers and letters. The following information will help you steer clear of viruses that can be used for invasive hacking.

2. Networking

Any time you visit a site or download a file you are networking with a web sever. To prevent the acquisition of viruses you need to uphold strict security precautions to ensure that you are safe from viruses. Keep an active anti-virus solution installed and running at all times, and be sure to perform routine scans. Social networking opens you up to vulnerabilities as well. Most people don’t realize that doing something as simple as looking at a picture your friend is sharing with you is enough to put a keylogger on your computer.

3. Notifications

After your account has been hacked the intruder will usually try to change the contact information on the account to keep you from finding out so that they can use the account for whatever purposes they’d like as soon as possible. To keep this from happening you can enable notifications in your web hosting control panel that will tell you when any changes are made to your hosting account. These notifications can be sent via email and/or phone and are the best way to safeguard your web hosting account from hackers even after they’ve obtained your login credentials. By using these three simple concepts you can completely protect your hosting control panel and web sites from intrusion at all times.
 

Running a business with your website causes many different types of scammers, phishers, hackers and other malicious attackers to come out of the woodwork. As a result, network security should be one of your top priorities. When managing network security, you must be proactive in revealing any potential threats that could or are emerging. This begins with a thorough assessment of your website and network.

Ensuring your network and website is secure can literally make or break your business. If your site is breached by a hacker and a customer is scammed, negative word of mouth experience travels great distances; far enough to put you out of business. Security also involves keeping the wireless network at your office or store secure.

Many issues can arise in an unsecured network. Users that do not adhere to the security policy often allow attackers compromise networks. There are many examples of high-profile, large companies falling victim to internet attackers and almost ruining their organization. A few examples include RSA Security, OpenBSD, NASDAQ, Playboy Enterprises and Cryptologic.

In these instances, attackers used the following methods:

• Compromising a poor configuration
• Utilizing traffic
• Attacking specific network component
• Abusing a network
• Accessing user account passwords

Attackers compromised a poor network configuration related to a target host by utilizing scripts and other publicly available exploits. Also, they compromised traffic by evading security measures and using network sniffing methods. Additionally, attackers targeted a specific network component utilizing customized malicious scripts

Furthermore, by abusing the network configuration or bypassing a shoddy firewall, they were able to access vital information from public folders. Finally, attackers accessed user account passwords to concede additional hosts where that user may have an account.

To fully protect your network, you need to ascertain the technical expertise or hire someone with that knowledge, adhere to a security policy and develop an incident response procedure. These will help you prevent most attacks as well as correctly respond to them when they do occur. Once again, it comes down to being proactive as opposed to reactive in these situations.

Network security is one of the most important areas to develop within your website. Having an air-tight security policy and procedures mixed with extensive technical knowledge is like having a tornado shelter at your home. You will be protected in the case of an incident by building a secure, air-tight entity.

Content management systems are excellent pieces of software that perform many tasks. The most important are proper storage of content and retrieval of files in an efficient and timely manner. Blogs and personal and corporate sites all utilize this software for a relief of resources. Content management systems are fairly easy to use resulting in their huge popularity.

Due to the massive amount of information found within a content management system, they are a prime target for malicious attackers. There are five primary mistakes that administrators make within a content management system. These include:

• Password issues
• Poor web hosting
• Insecure plugins
• Liberal user privileges
• Lack of installed patches

One of the most common admin mistakes is using easy or blank passwords. Hackers specifically look for passwords that are easy to crack. Default passwords that came with the installation are simple to crack. To combat this simply change the password immediately following installation.

The second major mistake is utilizing a poor, insecure web host. Hackers look for vulnerabilities within the software as well as the operating system. This creates an easy entrance for them. Unfortunately the issue lies with the web hosting provider and not the admin so there’s little you can do if this occurs. The best method of avoidance is to take preventative measures like conducting proper research prior to selection a provider.

The third mistake is installing insecure plugins. Since most content management systems rely heavily on plugins, they are a huge security risk. To ensure this does not become a problem, find out if the plugin has been thoroughly tested prior to release. Also, remove plugins that are known to have security holes and risks.

The fourth mistake is granting liberal privileges to users. Many users will abuse their privileges and hack internally. The rule is to give users the least amount of privileges possible in order to use the website.

The final mistake is that admins don’t stay current with their upgrades and patches. These were created to patch a security hole. As soon as one is release, it’s advantageous to download and apply it. It’s not necessary to install several patches per day. Instead, be aware of critical updates that may come your way.

Many of these solutions are common sense. Simply take your time and be aware of any potential issues that may occur. Using preventative measures to ensure the content management system is robust will be beneficial in the long run.