Web Hosting Security: Best Practices to Protect Your Website!

In this digital age, websites have become an integral part of various businesses and organizations.

No matter how big or small a business size is, it heavily relies on various online platforms. This reliance has made website security indispensable.

Why?

As huge customer data are stored in a business website, they are becoming prime targets for cyber attackers. A compromised website can bring detrimental consequences such as data breaches, reputation damage, financial loss, and even hefty legal action.

To minimize increasing and evolving cyber threats and other detrimental online risks, implementing a comprehensive security strategy is a must.

This blog post delves deeper into the essential practices for web hosting security. We will equip you with the tools and knowledge to protect your online assets.

We will explore a range of strategies to safeguard your website from potential threats and maintain a robust online presence.

Let’s dive in!

07 Web Hosting Security Practices to Keep Your Website Protected Always!

In today’s digital world, web hosting security is paramount. A compromised website not only damages your site’s reputation but also slows down loading times and becomes prone to search engine penalties.

As web hosting affects your SEO (search engine optimization), you need to prioritize security measures to make it accessible and trustworthy which are essential aspects for search engine ranking algorithms.

Keeping that in mind, here is a list of 07 web hosting security best practices to safeguard your website.

1.    Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are your primary defense against all unauthorized access to your website and hosting account.

Here are a few tips to create and manage strong passwords:

• Complexity: Passwords such as birthdays, names, or common keywords are easy to guess for any intruder. Make your passwords complex by combining numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols.
• Uniqueness: Consider using different passwords for each online account. Avoid keeping the same passwords across different platforms.
• Length: Aim for at least 12 characters or even more as long passwords are considered more secure than shorter ones.
• Password Manager: Use a password manager to generate and store strong passwords securely. Using such tools, you can manage multiple passwords without compromising the security.
• Updates: Consider updating your passwords regularly to mitigate the risk of data breaches.

2.    SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificates

An SSL certificate is a digital shield that guards your website data being transmitted between your site and its visitors. It creates a secure connection that ensures sensitive data such as credit card details, login credentials, etc. are transmitted securely.

These digital certificates encrypt data and make it unreadable for anyone trying to intercept the whole transmission. Websites with SSL certificates not only highlight their reliability but are also one of the ranking factors in search engines.

There are three types of SSL certificates:

• DV (Domain Validation) Certificates: These are the most basic SSL certificates that validate ownership of a domain name.
• OV (Organization Validation) Certificates: These certificates provide validation of website business information to offer a high level of trust.
• EV (Extended Validation) Certificates: These are the highest level of validation that verifies a business’s existence and its identity.

How to Obtain an SSL Certificate?

• CA (Certificate Authorities): You can purchase an SSL certificate from renowned CAs such as Comodo, Let’s Encrypt, or Symantec.
• Hosting Provider: Several hosting providers offer discounted or even free SSL certificates as a part of their plans.

3.    Run Regular Updates

Updating your website software, themes, and plugins significantly patches security vulnerabilities that cyber attackers potentially exploit. These updates not only fix security holes but also enhance the performance and functionality of your website.

Here are a few methods to update these tools and maintain a secure online presence.

• Automatic Updates: Most plugins and platforms offer users automatic update options. You need to enable this feature to make sure your website is always up-to-date.
• Manual Updates: If the automatic update feature is not available or you prefer more manual control on your website, you can regularly check for updates and run them promptly.
• Testing: Before applying any update, you should consider testing them in a staging environment to avoid unexpected issues.
• Critical Updates: Focus more on updating core components first such as essential plugins and your website CMS (content management system).

4.    Regular Backups

Regular backup not only protects your website’s data but also ensures the continuity of your business. Backups are a method to restore your website data and reverse it to the former state in case of accidental deletion, security breach, or other unforeseen events that lead to loss of critical information.

Types of Backups:

• Full Backups: This type of backup creates a comprehensive copy of your website files and database including settings and content.
• Incremental Backups: This backup only saves changes that you have recently made, saving storage and time.
• Differential Backups: This backup saves everything that changed since the last full backup including all smaller updates.

Here are some best practices for doing backups right:

• Frequency: Depending on the sensitivity of your website data and the frequency of changes, create regular backups such as daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Storage: To protect data due to hardware failures or other unforeseen causes, consider storing backups in a secured location.
• Testing: To successfully restore your site from a backup, test the process regularly.
• Retention: Based on legal requirements and data retention policies, decide the period to retain backups in the backend.

5.    Access Restriction

You can keep your website safe by restricting the number of people who access it. This means you only allow trustworthy people to log in and make changes to your site. If you make this restriction, only a handful of people will access your site, reducing the risk of malicious attacks or unauthorized changes.

Here are the best practices to restrict access to your site:

• Strong Passwords: Use unique and complex passwords for your web hosting account and web administration.
• 2FA (Two-factor Authentication): Add an extra layer of security by enabling second verification such as code sent to email or phone.
• RBAC (Role-based Access Control): Based on the roles and responsibilities of users, create different levels of access for everyone.
• Access Logs Monitoring: Keep track of login attempts (failed and successful logins) to monitor suspicious activity.

6.    Utilize Firewall

You can think of a firewall as a digital gatekeeper of your website that guards it from unauthorized access by adding a protective shield. It monitors your website traffic, blocks unwanted or malicious attempts, and protects it from attacks by viruses and hackers.

It comes in three types namely hardware, software, and cloud-based. Hardware firewalls sit between your internet and your network. Software firewalls are installed on servers or your computers and cloud-based firewalls are hosted in the cloud that protects your applications and website.

How Firewall Work?

• Inspection: Firewalls analyze network traffic for suspicious activity such as malicious code or unauthorized attempts to access sensitive information.
• Filtering: Based on pre-set rules, firewalls allow or block specific traffic to prevent potential attacks.
• Protection: Firewalls protect your website from hackers, malware (viruses, worms, and trojans), and DoS (denial of service) attacks that aim to overload your site’s resources.

The right type of firewall for your business site depends on the complexity of your network and specific needs. Before choosing a firewall, consider the sensitivity of your data, website size, and your budget.

7.    Select a Reliable Hosting Provider

Choosing a reliable hosting provider is a crucial step in safeguarding your website. A reputable hosting provider offers various benefits that significantly boost your website protection.

Here are a few things to consider while choosing a hosting provider:

• Security Features: Make sure the hosting provider offers free SSL certificates to safeguard the site’s data. Some providers come with in-built firewalls to protect your site against malicious attacks. Check if the provider offers automated backups and other security features.
• Reliability and Performance: Choose a hosting provider that provides a high uptime guarantee (99.9% or higher). If your site’s traffic is expected to grow, make sure you select a provider that offers a scalable solution.
• Customer Support: Look for hosting providers offering 24×7 customer support to promptly address issues. Analyze their team’s expertise and knowledge in web hosting and security.
• Pricing Structure: Compare the pricing structure and features of different hosting providers to get the best value. Be aware of hidden fees and additional charges for setup and other services.
• Reviews and Reputation: Research through reviews and testimonials of their former as well as current clients to analyze the provider’s reliability. Look for providers with a high rate of customer satisfaction and a positive reputation in the industry.

To Conclude

In this digital age, having robust security of web hosting is as vital as owning a site. A website that is not protected is prone to cyber-attacks and even expensive lawsuits.

From using strong passwords to choosing a reliable hosting provider, you need a comprehensive approach to minimize potential risks.

Remember, web hosting security is an ongoing process that needs adaptation to evolving online threats and requires continuous attention.

By following the web hosting security best practices outlined in this blog post, you can strengthen your website security and safeguard it from unauthorized access, significantly!