Every time you flip into an online portal to grab the headlines you come across news of website security breaches. The online world is complex and if you have a website, you for sure are aware of the story. Be it any large organization or other world-wide companies, no one has skipped from the problems occurring due to web security.
Let’s face it. Talking about web security sends us into a denial mode. ‘We’ll see or think about it’ or ‘we’ll see when it happens one more time’ are the few most common lies we tend to tell ourselves when avoiding our website security. So what can exactly motivate us to take that extra step to secure our websites?
Please note that we are not talking anything about the independent servers, this is shared hosting accounts we’re discussing.
To understand the risks involved, we must start from the base of the pyramid.
What is shared hosting?
Not every website needs an entire server to show up on the internet. Some of them are small with only a few pages. Thus, investing a lump sum amount in an individual server is a waste of money and resources. Shared hosting allows a single server to host multiple websites. Therefore, to make your website available on the internet, you can buy a web server from various hosting providers available online. Reasons to try this:
• Affordable
• Accessible
• Spikes traffic
• Develop your website
But shared hosting is the most used and also the most vulnerable process in terms of security issues.
It all comes down to the point that the more we choose to store all our information online, the more someone wants to hack it or steal it. The scary thing: the hackers seem to be targeting all sites, especially the smaller ones more and more.
The hackers can:
• Break and steal into all your confidential information
• Corrupt your website and put up improper pictures on it
• Submit malevolent codes to deliver a virus to the visitors
• Send spam by logging into your email
It is now more frequent than before that the hackers exploit the hosting vulnerabilities and quickly infect your website. To avoid such scenarios, you need to install software that is capable of detecting such intrusive activities on your website. If necessary seek professional guidance, to protect your website from such hacks.
As a result one of the basic questions asked by all business owners is how to secure your website on shared servers?
1. Ensure Backups:
For most of us taking a backup seems to be never-ending. But no matter how boring it seems, backups are connected to the security of our documents. More than often the hacks are so bad that the entire data gets wiped out. In such cases what better than simply hitting a restore button and import the data back. You can save the whole business! Few added points that you need to keep in mind are:
Restoration - Backups rely heavily on quick and predictable restoration. It is important to know that whether or not your shared hosting provider has a restoration option or not. If yes, then are you sure it works? If not, then how to set everything up? If you are well-versed with things like database version, HP version, software version, etc, take a plunge and do it yourself. But if you do not have the required skill set, hire a professional with reliable services.
Frequency - Two things that largely define the frequency rate of your backup are:
• The criticality of your work
• Size of your backup data
Depending on your business, discard the data after a specific duration. In most cases, two times a week is sufficient.
2. Practice Two-Factor Authentication:
Given the level and frequency of hacks happening, one of the most embraced processes of securing your website is a Two-Factor Authentication process where a user needs to verify the login credentials two timed before logging in. Why? When an outsider attempts to guess or steal your password and tries to log in from some other source, they are challenged to attest their identity.
The most common way to claim an identity check is by typing an OTP sent over SMS or email to enforce a strict identity check.
3. Avoid Doubtful sources:
We, humans, are quickly taken over by emotions, aren’t we? Coming across a source that offers exactly what you need, maybe for free, and the demos are great. What else do you need!? Well, slow down before you commit the worst mistake. The third-party service providers can contain malicious code or maybe poorly coded that breaches the security at once. The world of hacking is extremely twisted with various incredibly twisted attacks being revealed every day. Therefore, always take themes, plugins, etc. from trusted and reliable sources.
4. Stronger Passwords:
One of the many problems with having strong passwords is that they are everything but secure. Anyone with a little knowledge about your personal life and the aid of some dictionaries, chances are that the hackers can crack the shell. It is recommended to use apps or reliable sources that allow you to choose the correct complicated password. Avoid taking easy roads, and instead, create a password that makes your stomach churn.
5. Regular Software Update:
Please don’t take it lightly. If your shared hosting services give you an administration panel that lets you upgrade the installed software, do it! It may not seem to be fun but a new software update is released to largely check the security loopholes. Well, consider it as the tax we need to pay to ensure the security f our digital infrastructure. So, the next time you see a pop-up, press yes!
