8 Tips to Improve Web Hosting Security

Keeping your web hosting environment secure is paramount. 

Web hosting services such as cloud or dedicated server hosting can expose your company to risks that are not present in smaller, less-visible environments. 

Hosting services offer an entry point for hackers and malicious programs. 

If you keep sensitive information on your servers, this presents another set of problems. 

Some of the most common threats include DDoS attacks, brute force attacks, brute force dictionary attacks, SQL injections, and cross-site scripting (XSS). 

This blog post will give you 8 tips on how to improve the security of your web hosting environment. 

These tips will help you protect yourself from outside cyber threats and reduce the risk of insiders leaking information or tampering with data. 

Even if you’re already aware of some of these best practices, we think you’ll find something new here!

Always Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are one of the most basic and most important security precautions you can take. 

Strong passwords are long and complex, with a mixture of letters, symbols, and numbers. 

Using a password manager to generate and store passwords is recommended, as it can be a challenge to remember long, complex passwords. 

It’s possible to crack passwords, even strong passwords if they are stored in plain text. 

This is why you should use a strong hashing algorithm to encrypt passwords, like Bcrypt or PBKDF2. 

Using a strong hashing algorithm will also make it much more difficult to reverse-engineer your database. 

For an added layer of security, consider requiring that users change their passwords on a regular basis. 

This will help limit the damage if a password is ever compromised.

Use SSL When Transferring and Storing Data

Always use SSL to transfer sensitive data such as customer passwords, credit card numbers, and login credentials. 

The last thing you want is for a hacker to be able to gain access to the plain text version of this information. 

SSL is also required for HTTPS websites, which is why it’s important to use it for all traffic. 

Always use SSL when storing data as well. This will protect databases against malicious queries, such as SQL injections and XSS attacks. 

You should also consider implementing HSTS to protect against man-in-the-middle attacks. 

Setting up HSTS is easier with managed hosting services, but it is possible to do it yourself. 

Always use SSL when transferring and storing data. 

This will help protect your databases against malicious queries, such as SQL injections and XSS attacks.

Lock Down Administrative Accounts

Administrative accounts are a threat in any environment, but they are even more dangerous in a shared hosting environment. 

This is because it’s unlikely that the other users on the server have been vetted to the same level as employees of your company. 

We recommend using two-factor authentication (2FA) on administrative accounts. 

This will make it more difficult for malicious actors to gain access to server settings. 

You should also disable root accounts on Linux servers and only allow privileged users to access the command line.

Disable Remote Execution Commands

Administrators can use secure shell (SSH) or Telnet to log into remote servers and execute commands directly. 

This is a useful feature that allows IT teams to manage servers remotely. 

However, it’s also possible for a malicious actor to abuse this functionality to log into your servers and execute commands. 

To reduce the risk of this happening, disable the ability to log in using SSH or Telnet. 

Ideally, only allow administrators to log in using 2FA. 

This will make it more difficult for malicious actors to gain access to servers remotely.

Monitor Your Environment and Track Events

Monitoring traffic and events in your environment is important for tracking potential threats. 

You should log as much information as possible related to security events, such as failed login attempts, traffic to IP addresses, and data transfers. 

You should also monitor events related to system performance, such as CPU and disk usage, as they can be an indicator of potential threats. 

Monitoring your environment and tracking events will help you identify and mitigate threats before they become a serious problems. 

Be sure to have the right tools in place to allow the team to track and monitor the most important KPIs. 

This will help you stay on top of the issues and ensure that you have the right people on the team. 

You can also set up automated alerts that will notify you when a critical threshold is crossed or an important event is about to happen. 

With the right monitoring and tracking in place, you’ll be able to put an end to the stress of wondering if everything is OK.

Utilize Firewall

Hosting providers often provide firewall services that can help mitigate threats related to port scanning and brute force attacks. 

This is a good first line of defense to reduce the risk of malicious actors accessing your servers. 

Logging into your firewall and using rules to block malicious IP addresses is another way to reduce the risk of attacks. 

If your hosting provider does not provide firewall services, you can set up your own firewall. 

Linux servers can be configured to provide firewall services using Iptables. 

Windows servers can use Windows Firewall or a third-party firewall program.

Use Blacklisting to Block Malicious URLs

Blacklisting is the process of blocking malicious websites and IP addresses on your server. 

This is useful for blocking websites that host viruses or attempt to hack your servers. 

Blacklisting is not 100% effective, but it can be another layer of protection against the threat of malicious websites. 

You may also want to consider implementing content filtering. 

This will allow you to block specific websites and pages that may contain malicious code. 

You can also use content filtering to block specific words so that your website or application cannot be used to host inappropriate or offensive content.

Use Hosting-Provided Security Features Where Possible

Some hosting providers provide security features, like intrusion detection and firewall services. 

This is a good first line of defense against threats. In addition, many providers also allow you to lock down certain inbound and outbound ports. 

This can be very helpful for blocking malicious traffic. 

It’s also possible to use failover servers to switch to a backup environment if your primary server becomes compromised. 

This can help you mitigate damage from a malicious attack and reduce the risk of downtime.

Summary

Hosting providers offer an entry point for hackers and malicious programs. 

Keeping your web hosting environment secure is critical. 

This can be challenging, but there are some simple ways to protect against threats. 

We recommend using strong passwords, and SSL for sensitive data, locking down administrative accounts, disabling remote execution, monitoring your environment and tracking events, and utilizing firewall and security features provided by your hosting provider. 

These tips will help you protect yourself from outside cyber threats and reduce the risk of insiders leaking information or tampering with data. 

Even if you’re already aware of some of these best practices, we think you’ll find something new here!