Security is the top priority for most website owners. Some web admins may ignore choosing the ideal hosting provider while they are focused on their website’s security or speed. However, providers’ security features can save you from being the victim in many cases.
Moreover, many hackers are targetting web hosting service providers instead of targetting websites directly. They can cause annoying downtimes, or worse encrypting and stealing all your website data from the server. To avoid such unwanted situations, try to find a service provider that can provide these basic security features to keep your website running as expected. You can also take a look at our “How to protect a web server from malware in 7 steps” article to learn more about the most common cyberattacks and how to protect your server.
Updates
Most software updates include hotfixes and patches for known vulnerabilities and bugs. Thus, if your hosting provider can’t apply the updates as soon as possible, it means the system is vulnerable to known issues during that time. So it would be wise to choose a provider that is capable of installing the regular updates quickly.
Backup
One of the best methods to protect your website against ransomware attacks is having automatic backups regularly. Even though the server is hit by ransomware and all the data gets encrypted, you can restore your website from the backup within minutes. So regular backup is a very important feature against any unexpected situations.
DDoS protection
DDoS is also a very common cyberattack method. Distributed Denial of Service, or DDoS for short, overwhelms the server with traffic and eventually causes downtime. It can be prevented by the hosting service provider’s firewall easily.
SSH and SFTP
SSH or Secure Shell or Secure Socket Shell is a cryptographic network protocol that allows you to securely access the webserver. It includes applications like remote command-line, login, and remote command execution. SSH is a secure alternative to the non-protected login protocols and insecure file transfer methods. SFTP or Secure File Transaction Protocol allows users to take care of file management safely.
SQL injection protection
SQL injection or SQLi is a method that aims to inject a code into a website’s codes that depend on SQL-based databases. Most hosting providers offer protection against SQLi. It is possible to prevent SQL injection with WAF (Web Application Firewall), cross-site scripting, and vulnerability probing. There are also some solutions that check websites for possible injection vulnerabilities.
Monitoring and scanning
Most good hosting providers monitor their internal network for intrusions or unexpected activities to prevent cyberattack attempts and malware activities. Hosting providers also regularly scan their systems for malware. You can look for a seal of protection from a trusted malware scanner company in your hosting provider’s website to make sure it is regularly scanned for malware.
SSL/TLS
SSL or Secure Socket Layers encrypts the data while it is being transferred. It protects it against the attacks like man-in-the-middle. Most decent hosting providers include a free SSL certificate in their offerings. An SSL certification will also allow your visitors to know that their data are being protected.