Everything You Need To Know About Web Hosting Security

There are many new web hosts every single day, and they all want to have their minds put at ease when it comes to security for their sites. Any new website or online business is subject to being invaded by hackers looking to steal valuable information like account numbers, invoice records, personal data and other usable information. The best way for a merchant to ensure a protected site is to have the best security software working hand-in-hand with comprehensive daily security practices.

There are many companies working on many different ways of offering online businesses protection from fraudulent activities. Various vendors of the open-source Operating System (OS) Linux are working with other hardware and software companies to prevent hacking and other theft from occurring on merchant’s sites that are hosted with that OS. In fact, Microsoft, Apple and just about every tech company in every field supports this same effort. The reason? Millions, if not billions, of dollars are being stolen by "technothieves" and redirected from more positive uses by companies defending themselves against them.

How the bad guys work

Hackers create their own pages with the sole purpose of spreading harmful code, which they also distribute via e-mails. They combine deception techniques, such as "paying nice" at social networking sites, to entice users to visit and run the malicious code. Hosting sites are constantly working to provider updates security features to prevent anonymous posting of malignant Trojan horses, which is what the hidden, deceptive code is called in those instances.

Lately, the free "personal web hosting" sites have been increasingly targeted by hackers seeking ways that are both affordable and anonymous to store and distribute mobile malicious code (MMC) and powerful spyware. A particular menace is in the small programs known as "keyloggers" that steal personal, confidential information by creating a "log" of every "key" that computer users press on their keyboards. Once embedded on your computer, the hacker can access the data over the Internet.

What the researchers say

In 2007, a leading web research organization logged over 2,500 incidents of free hosting sites distributing MMC, Trojan horses and keyloggers. Software programs make use of this information to protect computer users from accidentally becoming victims of this malware by blocking access to known, infected sites. For a "one-two punch," some anti-malware programs prevent harmful spyware applications from starting or running on users’ computers in the first place.

However, the biggest "front" in the Hacker Wars is the web hosting industry, the hundreds and thousands of companies that sell server space and host the millions (billions?) of websites in cyberspace. If your site is "mission critical" - the location of your research data, the way you make a living, etc. - then what your web host is doing for security should be of utmost importance to you. The information that makes up "everything you need to know" is, more appropriately, what your web host needs to know, as well, since you are not in the best position to secure your site, the hosting company is.

Bottom line

Observers and providers of web security solutions have noted that a growing number of companies not previously known as anti-malware firms are popping up with "solutions." Some of these firms are actually run by hackers and thieves, so you and your web host need to be up to date on what companies are supplying what solutions for what purpose. An extra dose of due diligence is required in this area, for the foreseeable future.

If you do not have the time to become (or remain) an expert in web hosting security, it is understandable. However, there is no excuse for a web hosting firm to be even a minute behind the times in this crucial area of expertise. If someone is taking money from you to serve your site to the Internet, they should be completely on top of the security procedures and programs that will ensure the safety of your site and its data. Do not accept any excuses about it. If you are not satisfied with the security where your site is presently hosted, you don't need to know everything about web hosting security, you just need to know one thing - get the best help you can get!