The Beginner's Guide to Ensuring Web Hosting Security in 2020

Some people call the internet as a borderless entity, where you can go anywhere you like and access anything your eye falls upon. This can be counted as the technology’s greatest strength, and conversely, its greatest weakness. Why? Because, in the absence of checkpoints, you cannot possibly fathom the intention of other web surfers, which could be anything from beneficial to downright malicious.

Every step on the web brings a new form of risk, for sure. Therefore, it is extremely important to see the world of the internet in its entirety, with both its light and dark sides. If you ignore the shady corners, chances are you will not be able to predict an attack when it happens and fail to protect yourself against it too.

One of the worst examples of cyberattacks in modern times is the multi-billion worth of data loss that occurs online on a daily basis. Whether small-scale or large-scale, business websites especially bear the brunt of information breaches that jeopardize the whole curve of the market.

What hackers usually do is that they sniff out online platforms and WordPress blogs with the weakest security shields, unleash a virus or malware variant into its deeper folds, block site operations, and steal tons of confidential information from credit card details of buyers to unique passcodes. No hosted site can survive this wave of warfare, unless it reinforces its defenses using proper steps, such as the ones mentioned below.

Go for a Credible Web Hosting Provider

People who wish to make a space of their own in the fast-flowing internet current usually take the help of a web hosting provider. This provider gives a dedicated area to your domain on its server and allows more visible traffic to pass through. Therefore, as you can see, a web-hosting provider plays a fundamental role in your site’s security, as a middle party.

You should always go for a service that has guaranteed reliability and provides standard perks, such as auto backups, anti-virus/anti-malware/anti-spam protection and smart recovery systems, etc. This initial choice, if made wisely, will prove to change the game for you in the cybersecurity arena. While shopping for a reliable web hosting provider, also view plans like Spectrum packages, that promise both speed & security, as a double-measure. Just in case. All of Spectrum’s internet packages come with a free security suite that protects you while you conduct your online activities.

Use CDN Against DDoS Attacks

CDN stands for Content Delivery Network. This system stores the most accessed content of your site as a cache on a network of distributed servers around the world. So, when a visitor sends an access request to your site, CDN delivers cached data of the webpage to the visitor’s geographical location from the nearest server. This process bridges speed gaps and makes your site faster than ever.

Besides boosting performance, CDN also strengthens the security of your site against DDoS attacks. DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service, and this attack floods the victim’s site with access requests until the hosted server dies down. CDN’s sophisticated tackling of requests saves the server from being overwhelmed, ultimately protecting your site.

Secure with SSL Certification & VPN

The communication that takes place between your site and the server and between the server and the user is precisely what’s targeted by malicious entities, who sneak in through the unprotected gaps and wreak havoc on all parties involved. How can you hide this flow of communication from the eyes of cyber-attackers? With the help of an SSL Certificate and a VPN, if you would like to go over the top. An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate encrypts all the data going hither & tither on your site. This encrypted data isn’t of any use to the hackers.

So, make sure you get an SSL security layering for your hosted site, which is free of cost mostly and is available on cPanel or Plesk easily. Apart from that, you can further protect your files with a Virtual Private Network subscription, which creates a certain level of anonymity, tunnels data on private networks, and prevents hackers from stealing it.

In addition to these measures, you can always strengthen your passwords, enforce two-factor authentication on logins, limit file permissions to avoid SQL injections, update all software, and backup all data on a regular basis to protect your hosted site further.

Wrapping Up

Web hosting opens multiple avenues for site owners, but it also makes them vulnerable to online attacks. Therefore, you should pay heed to the aforementioned safety pointers to save yourself from an epic downfall this year.