In this modern age, websites continue to be the primary way of establishing the presence of an individual or organisation in the vastness of the internet space. From personal blog pages to e-commerce sites, websites make up virtually everything we see online.
Web hosting providers are responsible for making these countless sites available around the clock and protecting them from hackers.
Although website owners are still partly responsible for the cybersecurity basics of their sites, one could argue that the brunt of the security work is handled by the providers that host their sites.
If you’re curious about the role of web hosting in protecting your site from hackers, do read on.
1. Restrict access to unauthorised entities
Web hosts are naturally responsible for maintaining and protecting the physical servers and virtual machines that host everyone’s websites. They restrict access to these resources from both internal and external threats.
To ensure only authorised website owners have login access to their sites, web hosting employs Secure Socket Shell (SSH) or a similar network protocol.
SSH is essentially a robust password authentication system utilising public keys that force encrypted data communication between devices, preventing hackers from intercepting the exchanged data.
2. Prevent distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks
DDoS attacks remain a prevalent threat in today’s cyberspace. Those affected by such cyber-attacks may suffer substantial profit loss, and reputational damage as legitimate users looking to visit the site are locked out by malicious users overwhelming the server with so much traffic.
One of the best ways to prevent DDoS is using a Content Distribution Network (CDN), a collection of servers distributed in different locations that can quickly resolve requests via cached content.
This caching system reduces hosting bandwidth and thus minimises the risk of DDoS attacks disrupting service.
3. Ensure hardware protection
Those who choose to engage in web hosting primarily rent server space, meaning the server will host the files for their website. As mentioned earlier, it’s the web hosting responsibility to maintain a robust level of security at their data centres where the servers are physically housed.
This entails allowing only authorised employees within the web hosting company to access said servers in person when it comes to hardware protection.
Controlled access points, secure server racks, security cameras, and motion detectors are only a few of the many security measures that deter ill-intentioned individuals from physically compromising these servers.
4. Monitor network activity
Web hosts continually monitor and analyse potential threats in their network before they become more severe problems. By relying on a web hosting provider, business owners can feel more at ease knowing that their private data remains secure.
To better learn about a web host’s monitoring protocols, it would help to ask about the type of monitoring they conduct and their process of notifying customers in case of a security threat.
5. Offer backups and convenient rebuilds
Backups are fundamental in case your website crashes or gets hacked. Most web hosts generally provide these backups in both physical and digital forms. Furthermore, their web hosting packages should include:
- Automatic and frequent backups.
- Backup storage for an extended period.
- Several backup versions of your site.
If the primary data centre is compromised, physical backups should ideally be stored at a second location. Most of the time, it’s the website owner’s responsibility to create a digital backup of their site that they can use to restore to an earlier version in case of an incident.
Conclusion
According to a study, cyberattacks occur every 39 seconds. Moreover, approximately 68% of business leaders claim that they encounter an increase in cybersecurity risk.
With cyber incidents making headlines more frequently in recent times and top corporations being just as vulnerable as everyone else, it only makes sense to get as much protection as possible.
Here at CLDY, we provide the best cloud hosting services in Singapore that have service guarantees so you can focus on growing your business.
From our business web hosting to email hosting, all our services come with the best of everything at an unparalleled speed with zero risks. Reach out to us today and get your website up and running.
