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Tag: Security

Benefits Of Cloud Hosting For Securing Your Data

Here on hosting servers, each website owner stores a sizable amount of important data. Ensuring the security of this data is extremely important given the rise in cyberattacks as well as data breaches. You are in charge of protecting all client data given to you as the owner of the website. Data security refers to an infrastructure design in which data is exclusively stored at which the owner chooses (often on a hosting server) and cannot be accessed by anyone else in absence of the owner’s consent.

With cloud hosting, as opposed to your computer or server, all data is kept in a cloud, often referred to as a virtual server. The network of linked virtual, physical cloud servers which hosts the website, forces the data to be stored across various data centers. You shouldn’t have an issue losing your data if you do regular and trustworthy backups. In contrast to conventional hosting, in which data is kept on such a single server, this approach is beneficial. If the business doesn’t have a trustworthy and effective backup strategy ready, when a certain server is compromised, it might cause a permanent loss of data.

Overview of Cloud Security

The use of cloud storage has become increasingly popular in both personal and professional settings. The convenience and accessibility of cloud storage have made it a go-to solution for many individuals and businesses. However, its popularity has also made it a target for malicious actors. In order to protect data stored in the cloud, individuals and businesses must take measures to ensure that their data is secure. One way to increase cloud security is to encrypt data before it is uploaded to the cloud. In order to keep the data of an organization safe and secure, the IT team must implement various security measures. 

One of the most effective ways to do it is by using cloud security, which is a method of securing data that is stored in the cloud. Cloud security can be used to protect data from unauthorized access, as well as to ensure that data is not lost or corrupted. In order to effectively use cloud security, organizations must have a clear understanding of the risks associated with storing data in the cloud.

As organizations increasingly move data and applications to the cloud, security teams are tasked with securing this new environment. The shared responsibility model means that Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) are responsible for the security of the cloud but customers need to secure their data and applications. This requires a different set of tools and processes than on-premises security. Your data will always be accessible and securely kept thanks to an efficient program of security safeguards called ‘cloud security’. 

Multiple levels of firewalls, client authentication mechanisms, legal compliance standards and other security measures are used. The most effective approach to keeping data is on the cloud, where there is a wide variety of protection available.

Advantages of Cloud Hosting On Websites

In case the server is compromised, data saved in typical hosting can easily be stolen. However, since the data is just not kept in a solitary or abandoned dwelling, cloud-hosted websites are challenging to attack. In order to take the data, the hacker would need to access many servers, which would be a more time-consuming procedure.

  • Backup System

The data is distributed and regularly backed up between numerous machines thanks to the robust backup solution offered by cloud hosting. This guarantees a much more secure and safe data hosting service. The data is constantly accessible and the likelihood of losing it is minimal.

  • Protection of Data

The fact that cloud hosting safeguards the data using multiple machines rather than a single server is one of its key benefits. In comparison to the virtual hosting setup, the danger of losing the data as a result of a breach or hacker attack is substantially higher with such a single server option. By doing this, you lessen the likelihood of your data becoming a victim of an unanticipated hardware issue or attack. The data will move from one server space to another.

  • Safety Concerns

Since cloud hosting initially entered the market, safety issues were brought up. Among these are higher risks of DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) assaults, data loss, and malware insertion attacks.

In order to address these issues, web hosting businesses have implemented DDoS prevention software, malware protection, antivirus, and firewalls over the years. Most of these issues are resolved today. Because of this, cloud hosting is a better option than traditional hosting in regard to data security.

  • Mirroring of Data

In hosting services, all of the data is continuously mirrored. The technique of duplicating data from one server to a different one is known as ‘data mirroring.’ Actual data mirroring offers the advantages of data never being lost because of a hardware malfunction and always having a backup of your data in case it is stolen.

While preventing data theft is essential, disaster recovery planning and reliable data backups should also be used to provide complete data protection. All of these are handled by cloud hosting.

  • Backups across Platforms

The act of preserving any given information’s three copies in a couple of independent, physically unrelated data centers is known as backup across platforms. This is crucial for the storage of data because it prevents data loss even if the entire data center is attacked online. From a different data farm, users can still have access to or recover the data. The backup that is kept in many data centers is continuously updated. Therefore, manual backups are not necessary.

  • Firewall Software

The network and computer are protected by a firewall from illegal access through the public internet. Previously, firewalls were implemented as physical devices between incoming web routers and servers. However, now the server itself has a firewall application installed.

The basic function of the firewall used to block outgoing and inbound traffic, although this has now been complemented by virus and malware screening, as well as hacking prevention systems.

Conclusion

Cloud security is more important now than ever before. The cloud has become an integral part of our lives and we rely on it for everything from storing our photos to managing our finances. But as our dependence on the cloud grows, so does the risk of data breaches and other security threats. That’s why it’s important to choose a cloud provider that takes security seriously. 

In today’s business world, many companies are turning to the cloud to store their data. The cloud offers many advantages, such as being able to access data from anywhere and cheaper storage costs. However, the cloud also has its disadvantages, such as security risks. But overall, it is of great importance and a necessity.

VPS Security And Best Tips To Secure It

A VPS or Virtual Private Server, has become a very favored hosting choice due to its security, performance, and flexibility at a lower cost than most hosting options. But like any other hosting solution, VPS (virtual private server) also has several vulnerabilities that hackers can try to exploit.

VPS Hosting

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtual machine sold as a service by an Internet hosting service provider. A VPS runs its own copy of an operating system (OS), and customers may have superuser-level access to that operating system instance, so they can install almost any software that runs on that OS. For many purposes, they are functionally equivalent to a physical server, and being software-defined, are able to be much more easily created and configured. They are priced much lower than an equivalent physical server.

With a virtual private server (VPS), you have complete control over your data and your environment. This means that you can run whatever software you want on your VPS, without worrying about compatibility issues. With a VPS, you can also have a virtual private server (VPS) as a server that is licensed and configured as a dedicated, private, on-premises instance of a public or private cloud computing platform. This type of server is commonly used in business and enterprise settings, where greater control over the resources and security is desired. VPS has become increasingly popular for web hosting, as they provide greater control over the resources and the ability to scale the instance up or down as needed.

Tips To Secure VPS Hosting

Read on to know more about how to secure your virtual private server with these helpful suggestions and tips.

1. Change Your Default Ssh Credentials

Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) is a common method used to gain and manage access to servers. Hackers often target SSH ports using brute force attacks to gain remote access. You can change your SSH port to make it difficult for hackers to access your server. Another simple method is to use a strong and unique password that contains a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.

2. Disable Root Login On Your Server

A server running on a VPS architecture always has a default username of “root”. The root user will for sure have the most control and privileges over the server compared to other users. Hackers often take advantage of this. Therefore, it is best to disable root login access on your server terminal.

3. Always Use The Latest Software Available

Keeping your server software up-to-date at all times is important to keep your VPS secure. Updating the software will provide you with many security changes that will better protect your data, as well as be smoother and error-free.

4. Setting Up Server Firewall

Installing a firewall is the best way to ensure strong VPS security. A simple firewall can help you block several IP addresses, block access and detect patterns, and also update rules that allow users to access your website or not.

5. Install Anti-Virus Applications Or Software

Installing antivirus software on your server will offer additional security measures against hackers and data loss. Even with a firewall or other security protocols in place, malware and other viruses can get onto your server and wreak havoc. If you’re not comfortable with a separate antivirus plan, you can consider a VPS hosting service like Big Rock that offers built-in server security features.

6. Using Fail2ban

Fail2ban is a Python-based software that helps identify and prevent brute force attacks, DoS attacks, and other common hacking techniques. The software constantly monitors your server logs and will notify you if it detects any form of data injection, multiple failed logins, or abuse.

7. Replace Ftp With Sftp Server

Although File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a convenient way to move files, it is generally considered outdated and risky. All data transferred via FTP is in clear text, which means it is vulnerable to packet sniffing. Therefore, switching to secure FTP (SFTP) for all communication with the server is a must. SFTP encrypts all data and information so that no unauthorized person can read it.

8. Regularly Review User Access

Since you are unlikely to be the only one with access to your VPS hosting server, it is important that you regularly check the kind of control and access other users have on the server. You can monitor user activity, grant or deny file permissions, or restrict access to protect sensitive data and ensure optimal VPS security.

9. Remove Unwanted Modules And Packages

The more modules, software, and packages you install on your VPS, the more opportunities you open up for hackers to exploit. Keep your server simple and remove any modules or software you don’t use to reduce the risk of hacking and data loss.

10. Monitor The Server Logs

Regular monitoring of server logs gives you insight into resource usage, significant events, user activity, and errors. This will allow you to identify any potential server issue before it snowballs into a larger, disruptive problem. In addition, it is also useful to back up your data regularly to prepare for worst-case scenarios.

11. Prevent Attacks On The Server 

While no server can be completely impenetrable, following the tips above will help you keep it as secure as possible. Remember, you must never compromise the security of the server. Any security failure can spell disaster for your website. For stress-free hosting, use a fully managed VPS hosting service that offers the best combination of user-friendliness, efficiency, and security for your website.

Conclusion

Now that you know all about securing the virtual private server, make sure to implement all the necessary measures and undertake precautionary protocols in order to keep your virtual private server protected and far away from all sorts of hacker attacks. The virtual private server is widely known for its performance and flexibility at a very low price, so be sure to make optimum use of it. Though there might be a few vulnerabilities present in the virtual private server, with the right guidance the server can be safeguarded.

Things Small Businesses Should Know About Web Hosting

Owning a business is a huge deal. Especially when clients want to shift their offline small-scale business online. Establishing a small business online is not a piece of cake. It involves making a lot of difficult decisions along the way. For example, the first decision-making situation arises when you look for an apt web hosting company. In order to launch an online website, they often look for the most scalable, reliable, reputed, and effective hosting service. So, getting to know more about web hosting is a mandatory thing. 

Around 80% of small businesses fail because business owners do not put much thought into web hosting services. In order to be one of the companies, among the 20% which excels, you need to know the important aspects which should not be ignored while choosing a site host company. 

Causes For A Small Business To Fail 

Business owners do not prioritize the need to compare and analyze the services each company might offer. The owners should check whether the hosting company is reputed, equipped with all the necessary services that you might need, their capability, and last but not least, make sure they have an effective customer service team to guide you through issues you might face along the way. 

Before going into the important aspects, a small-scale business should know, here are a few interesting facts about web hosting services.

  • Around 65% of small-scale businesses own a website.
  • The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of the Global Web Hosting market is expected to increase by 15.9% annually till the year 2023.
  • The market value is said to reach 76.2 billion dollars by the end of 2023. 
  • According to the recently collected data, there are around 359.8 million domains hosted around the world.
  • The United States of America is known to own the highest number of domains.

Now, let’s move on to the important features that a small-scale business must know regarding web hosting.

Important Aspects

Mentioned below are a few questions, who’s answers you need to know in order to become a successful online business owner. 

1. What does a web hosting company actually provide?

A hosting company makes sure that your business is smoothly launched over the internet. The hosting company makes the contents of your business accessible to all the intended users around the world. They are also responsible for the smooth functions of the website. 

  • Website management 

The hosting company will make sure that the hosted website performs in an efficient manner. Speed, performance, traffic, updating and patching, scalability, etc will be managed by the web hosts.

  • 24 / 7 Support 

A stable support team must be in place, to clarify all the queries and concerns clients might raise. The customer support team must be ready to take up any questions and provide their clients with the best solutions.

  • Security 

Cyberspace is not at all a safe place, so everything present in it should be constantly monitored and protected. The web hosts must have high-end tools to keep your website away from the reach of hackers or attackers. They should provide strong safety measures and take precautionary steps to keep your site away from any form of breaches.

2. What are the available types of web hosting?

There are quite a few types of web hosting services. Business owners must choose the type of hosting based on their requirements. And the main types of hosting are as follows:

  • VPS Hosting (Virtual Private Server) 

The features of Virtual private server hosting (VPS) are very similar to shared hosting features. The main difference between them is that VPS hosting provides a dedicated private space for its clients whereas shared hosting does not.

  • Dedicated Hosting 

If you like to have your space for yourself and stay undisturbed, dedicated hosting is the “go-to”. Dedicated hosting is quite expensive. But, this is acceptable as there will be no need to share your resource with any other clients. 

  • Shared Hosting 

Shared hosting is a great option for start-ups and entry-level sites. In this type of hosting a single server is shared by multiple websites. As shared hosting is cost efficient it is a great option for budget constraint companies.

  • Cloud Hosting 

This type of hosting is on demand. Cloud hosting is known to be very safe and secure and it can be called a hybrid of VPS.

3. What are the basic features that one should know about web hosting?

Here is some of the basic feature that every company should have:

  • Bandwidth 

Better bandwidth will contribute to the overall performance of the website. Websites with higher traffic should turn to higher bandwidth so that the site will perform in a smooth manner, rather than crashing.

  • SSL Certificate From the security point of view, an SSL certificate is mandatory. In order to establish a secure connection between the server and the browser, an SSL certificate is used. Nowadays only sites with an SSL certificate can be trusted. 
  • cPanel  

This is a graphical user interface that is Linux-based. The is fully equipped with all the latest high-end features that are needed so that a site can perform smoothly.

  • Backup 

Backup is very essential. This is one of the major features that you should look for in a hosting plan that is provided by the hosting company. There are various back types that are available. Make sure to choose the one that suits your needs the most.

Make sure that the web hosting company you choose has all these.

4. What are your needs?

Select a web hosting company that has the capacity to satisfy your needs by providing your site with good performance, high-end security, better scalability, and the ability to manage sites effectively.

5. How to choose the best hosting provider which is suitable for you?

Just because a specific company is good for others, doesn’t mean that it will be the same for you. The required functionalities of each client differ. So, choose the web host based on your requirements.

Conclusion

These are the key pointers every small-scale business owner must know about web hosting. This is simple information that will help you all the way. So, take your time to relax, research and then see your site in excel.

The Top Web Hosting Trends For 2022

A hosting service through which websites get hosted is called a web hosting service. This web hosting service provides all the features that will be needed to develop and maintain a website. They also make it possible to access it from anywhere around the world. Web hosts are companies that provide hosting services. Hosting services can be classified into two types namely Smaller hosting services and Larger hosting services. 

Smaller Hosting Services

There might be advertisements associated with a free hosting service rather than a paid hosting server. Smaller hosting services support file hosting functionalities where you can upload and download files using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and personal blogs. These are often not expensive and require a minimum processing rate.

Larger Hosting Services

Large-scale organizations and companies with large traffic make use of larger hosting services. As they possess a lot of data, they have built-in databases that are used to support their platforms. They allow the user to install applications and manage the contents of a website. They make use of the Secure Sockets layer (SSL) to make sure that the data being transmitted is even more secure.

Best Hosting Trends For 2022

This is the era where technology continuously changes and keeps evolving faster than ever. The year 2022 is going to change drastically in the web hosting field. Web hosting combined with some of the greatest innovative ideas is going to pay the way for a greater 2022. 

1. Increasing demand for cloud hosting

In the year 2022, Cloud Hosting services will continue to bloom. Cloud Hosting technology will become very popular among tech people. There are various services and functionalities that are offered by the cloud hosting service. These will be very beneficial to all its clients. Some of the major features of cloud hosting are:

  • They are easily used and have a user-friendly interface.
  • They provide flexibility to all their clients and users. 
  • Cloud hosting service also offers scalability.

The cost of renting a cloud hosting server has been comparatively reduced and is now affordable by most companies including start-up organizations. As the cloud hosting stream has become so popular that it has a great ability to change the future that lies ahead. 

2. The role of Artificial Intelligence will make a huge impact

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will collaborate with web hosting in 2022 to make a great difference. This is defined to be the field of study in intelligent agents. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is known to be the intelligence that is portrayed in machines. Artificial Intelligence can be used in various fields to carry out different functions. Artificial Intelligence has the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time. Some of the common tasks they perform are as follows:

  • Customer support.
  • Digital marketing.
  • Maintaining and managing a website.

Some of the well-known applications of Artificial Intelligence are:

  • Search engines – example: Google.
  • Recommendation system – example: Netflix, Youtube, Amazon, etc.
  • Automated cars – for example, Tesla.
  • Speech Recognition system – example: Alexa, Siri, etc.
  • Games – example: chess.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful technology and can perform tasks in a better way than humans in less time. They require less money and time to complete tasks.

3. Managed hosting will take over the internet

Managed hosting service is predicted to become popular by the end of the year 2022. Many clients and users nowadays prefer using a managed hosting server rather than a shared hosting server. As most of the clients are no longer newbies and they know their way around hosting services and hosting companies, they prefer not to choose shared hosting services. Business owners feel that managed servers are much safer when it comes to storing the client’s data. Several benefits of Managed hostings are mentioned below:

  • More secure.
  • All the data or the information gets backed up frequently.
  • Clients possess the ability to monitor the server.
  • Twenty-four, seven customer support team availability.
  • Managed hosting service is affordable and cost-efficient.
  • Organizations do not require extra staffing to maintain servers.

These are some of the reasons why managed hosting services might take over by 2022.

4. Increase in Green hosting

 Green hosting is a new server plan which has the ability to remain useful for a long time before it gets decommissioned. Many companies and organizations are coming to know more about this technology and its numerous useful benefits. Green hosting makes sure all its users stay committed to reducing their carbon footprint all over the internet. There are several badges that the clients can display on their site that show the green credentials. Green hosting is not one environment friendly but they are also said to be budget-friendly. 

5. Security – The top priority

During this digital age, there is a huge necessity to keep your personal details or private information safe, away from the reach of hackers and other people with malicious intent. Web hosts nowadays make it their top priority to keep the information and all the data stored in them safe and secure and provide relief to their clients and users. 

Web hosting makes use of Firewalls to prevent malicious and unnecessary traffic from outside and they are used to filter malicious content. They also make use of malware protection software to prevent the malware from infecting the files and stored data. Web hosting in the year 2022 will focus on providing the safest environment for all its users to work on, with their confidential data. 

To Summarize

These are known to be some of the fantastic and outstanding trends that are going to change in the year 2022. All these trends are going to make a huge impact in the field of web hosting by providing their best to their clients and users. These trends are going to revolutionize the year 2022 for sure without a doubt.  

Why Is Regular Website Maintenance Mandatory?

Motives on why you need to maintain your websites – No matter what internet development platform you operate on, you have to keep the website updated often. A developer who promotes website renovation services, should make certain basic safety updates and plan out how a website should be maintained in the long run.

Noted below are five major fundamental drawbacks that you might face if you procrastinate or fail to maintain the internet site in a proper manner.

1. Security Of A Website

There occurs a digital assault or a security breach every 30 seconds. Security of a website is arguably the most essential reason to encourage the website owner for regular time updates of the web page. 

Hackers are constantly on the watch to make the most vulnerabilities exploited in vintage versions of  CMS (Content Management Systems). Consequently, several content management systems continue to keep themselves updated. New versions of content management systems are often released after fixing bugs and updating patches. Many third-party plugins are also constantly updated. It is said, “Keep the CMS and plugins updated to guard your site against any malicious assault.”

2. Performance Of The Website

According to several studies that have been conducted, it is concluded that almost 37%of the people who visit the site, tend to leave the page if it loads for more than five seconds.

New software releases include cleanser code and high-end performance. Every software can be used to the fullest, only when the version is completely updated. The improvements of software are a huge advantage; the release of a newer version provides a great advantage to its users. These updates should be made to work in a way where the performance is not affected.

3. Experience Of The User

Updating an internet site and its functions is vital to keep up with the consumer’s expectations. New versions of the software come with newer functions and carry out various features. This permits the developer or a web designer to provide a better appearance for the site and make sure the user experience is enhanced. 

4. Backup The Data

Backing up the data of a website means storing a duplicate version in a different secure location or storing it locally. Backing up the website is like developing a duplicate of an internet site document in a separate folder. This prevents data from being lost during any disaster or recovery phase. 

Despite the fact that taking everyday backup of websites may appear to be monotonous, it makes the website more secure and acts as a protective layer. In case the website gets affected by malware, a virus, or any haywire caused due to a misconfiguration issue, the backup can be used to retrieve the lost or infected data. As the data can be retrieved and reused whenever necessary, backing up data is a very important process.

5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

All the websites that are updated are preferred by search engines. Websites that are said to be virus-free, and provide high performance are liked by search engines. If the web page is maintained up to date, the possibilities of the internet site ranking are said to be higher. And who does not want to get increased site visitors and exhibit their commercial enterprise to the world?

It is realized how crucial it is to maintain the website updated at regular intervals.  But the challenge becomes hard while multiple websites are meant to be kept updated simultaneously. 

Discussed below are a few guidelines that explain how to maintain more than one site simultaneously and serve the clients in a better manner.

Points To Remember – Handle Multiple Websites Like A Pro

  • Better Planning Skills

The importance of planning can never be stressed enough. A broken website that is under renovation can cause embarrassment and affect the visitors in a negative way. A separate time frame should be allotted to maintain and monitor the site. This will enable the viewer to catch any error if present, in the initial stage itself. “Prioritize and plan the work to be right on time before the deadline”.

  • Keep undertaking list prepared

To prevent working on a project again and wasting time, maintain a monitoring list geared up for each website. Keep updating that sheet then and there to keep the list updated. All information should be noted in the sheet, regarding the maintenance task that was carried out on a particular website.

  • Clear Communication

The monitoring sheet referred to in the above factor will help the client in preserving the client’s verbal exchange as well. It is also going to help in updating the client, regarding the protection status of the web page.

Regular maintenance is required for retaining a website in a reliable manner and keeping it fully optimized. If the updates are not carried out on time and the vulnerabilities are not patched on time, it may be the reason for the massive damage to the website and the commercial enterprise. So the process of maintaining a website in a fully functional manner is required, as it invites a lot of visitors and increases the ranking of the website. 

To Summarize

Search Engine Optimization also favors websites that are up to date and websites that are not infected by any malware or virus. Regular checking of the website for any vulnerability should be carried out. If the website is known to have a lot of performance issues and does not provide a piece of reliable information to its visitors, the website will fail its purpose. 

A fantastic website needs to be maintained in a proper manner to avoid any drawbacks or unpatched bugs. When there are multiple websites that are owned by a single person, using automated tools to run routine checks can be utilized. The bottom line is, that websites should be scanned for vulnerabilities and be kept updated so that they can be of great use to their visitors.

WordPress Security – What Are The Measures To Take?

WordPress, the world’s most popular website-building platform and Content Management System (CMS), is behind 43% of all of the world’s websites, and 62% of CMS-based websites. But, with all this popularity, come cyber attacks and hack threats. 

It faces constant attacks from hackers trying to find loopholes in the system. It is crucial to protect your website from cyber-attacks to prevent unnecessary loss of money, time, and energy. The first step towards a totally secure WordPress website is understanding prospective loopholes in the website’s security.

One Might Ask Here – But, WordPress Is A Secure CMS, Isn’t It?

Here, it is necessary to understand that 97% of cyber attacks occur from users breaching the security of WordPress plugins, thus proving that WordPress is not a vulnerable CMS. The advanced security features, combined with SuperByteHosting’s security measures will ensure that no hacker ever gets into your website and causes disruption. Want to know how? Keep reading!

First, let us understand why it is necessary to keep your WordPress site secured – 

1. Your information and reputation depend upon it

If your personal information falls into the hands of attackers, there is no end to what they could do with it. It can lead to identity theft, server crash, data leaks, ransomware, and whatnot! The occurrence of any of these unfortunate events will lead to a huge loss of time, money, and energy. 

2. Your visitors expect data confidentiality and security

As the client base of a business expands, the number of problems faced in handling data also increases with customers’ expectations of data privacy. Loss of customer trust and loyalty is often a result of the inability to provide the fundamental service of data security. 

You need to build trust in your customers that their data is secure, regardless of what data it is. While the storage of sensitive data like payment information requires your website to be Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant, other information like contact details and survey responses also need to be stored securely in an unbreachable facility. 

3. Google ranks secure websites higher in its search results

Remember this equation: Safe website = Searchable website. Why? Website security directly influences the visibility of your website in the results of a Google search. This is because website security and trustworthiness directly affect SEO, which forms the base of search engine ranking. 

4. WordPress is an open-source website, and it comes with its vulnerabilities.

Obviously! An open-source website means that website and its source code are available to all and not hidden from anyone. A popular open-source website to hackers is like cheese to mice. The open-source status of WordPress comes with its share of disadvantages, among which cyber-attack vulnerabilities are at the top. One must keep their WordPress site secure to protect their online identity.

Now that we know why it is necessary for WordPress sites to stay protected, let’s have a look at the ideal WordPress Security measures one must keep in mind.

Regular Software Updates

As all software companies do, WordPress regularly releases WordPress Security updates. WordPress, being a haven for everyone who likes to customize their website as per their wish, has centuries of pre-made themes and many plugins for users to download and use. 

The issue arises when users take their internet safety lightly and don’t update their software with the latest security patch released by WordPress. Users not keeping up with updates, only lead to vulnerability of the website to security risks. 

However, this is not a problem with SuperByteHosting’s advanced auto-update feature, a feature that, when turned on, enables the WordPress software to be automatically updated during website setup. SuperByteHosting has made it really easy and simple to prevent security threats this way.

Malware

Malware, also called Malicious Software, holds the capability to corrupt a site and cause long-term issues for the website and its visitors. The user usually does not notice the malware entering the website through security loopholes in outdated plugins. Malware can and does steal confidential data from users, thus placing them under a major threat. 

However, all kinds of malware get nullified by SuperByteHosting’s malware scanner that is accessible to all its users to detect malware on their website(s).

Unauthorized Logins

Lovingly called ‘brute force attacks’ by techies, unauthorized logins are successfully carried out when hackers guess the username and password of a website with weak security. Under this method, the hacker uses bots to try out millions and billions of username and password combinations, much like a trial-and-error method. Loaded down by billions of such requests, the website slows down to an unimaginable extent. 

Observant WordPress users would have noticed that most usually, admin portals of a WordPress website are accessible by adding a ‘/wp-admin ’ or ‘/wp-admin.php ’ suffix to the website address. This is due to the fact that the majority of users do not alter the login page address, primarily because they are unaware of how to do so. SuperByteHosting provides recommendations and guidance on website security customization and WordPress Security tips and tricks.

DDoS Attacks

Most websites use shared servers for storing and processing their data since shared servers are more cost-effective than private servers. Such shared servers have limited resources. Heavy traffic on a website means a strain on the server. 

A Distributed Denial of Service or DDoS attack is very common on WordPress websites. It basically overloads your servers, thus leading to a complete shutdown of the servers. Bots are used to simulate thousands of IP addresses visiting your website simultaneously. However, worry not! SuperByteHosting’s strong network framework will ensure your website can go through any attack attempt. For additional security, SuperByteHosting users can also set up Cloudflare to mitigate any DDoS attacks from any external resources.

ConclusionWebsite security and maintenance don’t have to be a daunting task. It has to be carried out as diligently and regularly as any other activity on the website to ensure the website has a 24/7 uptime status, and you don’t lose out on any potential clients. Hosting services like SuperByteHosting go out of their way to protect their users from all kinds of cyber attacks on their website, so be sure to check out superbytehosting.com to get the best hosting and web security services for your website.

Best e-Commerce Security Tips From Super Byte Hosting Experts

There has been more news about security threats online now than ever before. Hackers and scammers have been able to find numerous ways to cheat people and businesses to get their way around the rules online. As a business owner in such a time, your top priority is safeguarding your online store from the countless security attacks that occur every day. Always be on the lookout for these assaults, and make sure your website is set up so that nothing can compromise your security.

E-commerce websites are particularly popular with hackers! Online retailers are the most common victims when it comes to being intruded on and hacked. This is because they have personal information of the clients passing through them. This is particularly true at times of certain seasons such as the holiday shopping season. Reviewing your e-commerce security is time-sensitive right now. Unfortunately, if a hacker manages to obtain credit card data from your online store, it won’t be them who loses out. Customers that are upset will post negative reviews about the business online when they are dissatisfied or inconvenienced. 

These have been some of the best security tips for e-commerce sites, specially provided by the experts at SuperByteHosting. 

  1. Keep your passwords updated frequently and make them strong

The human element is frequently cited as the one component which singlehandedly creates the most problem in cyber security. Passwords that aren’t really strong tendency to be the weak spot that hackers often take advantage of. Since everyone is free to create their own passwords, hackers grasp at any opportunity that a user’s password can offer.

Hostile actors out there take advantage of a weak password to access a website. 

In fact,  this is one of the many tactics that they use for this purpose. Therefore, the second piece of advice offered for e-commerce security has to do with administrative users. They must ensure that they set up strong passwords for accounts and additionally, they must update them frequently as well. All users who have administrative access to your online store MUST create secure passwords and change them frequently. 

  1. Keep your software updated

It is important to emphasize this first e-commerce security measure. It is possible for unscrupulous actors to find security flaws in old and wary plugins and themes and then somehow get a hold of them to mess around with your website. Once inside, hackers may design your site to send holiday shoppers to a fraudulent website where they might be prompted to download malware, for example. 

These upgrades frequently include a security update of some kind. Similar to the way that updates on your computer work, there are also locations present on the software of any website where you can check for updates. There’s no point in delaying the update of your own website when you wouldn’t delay updating your computer, phone, or phone app. Just with other software, website software is constantly being updated and enhanced. Sometimes, these modifications are made only to improve usability. These updates frequently also include a security upgrade of some kind. 

  1. Payment Gateway Security

Keeping credit card numbers in your database leads to a huge risk despite the convenience that it provides in making payments. Your brand’s reputation as well as the security of the personal information of your clients are compromised, which is exactly the kind of open invitation that hackers are looking for.

If you experience a security breach and credit card data is stolen, your only option is to shut down your company because the severe penalties will drive you into bankruptcy. Never store credit card information on your servers and ensure high levels of security at the payment gateways.

3) Pick A Reliable Hosting Website 

There are numerous hosting companies. Pick the provider with advanced features including backup and automatic update. Additionally, if you’re utilizing a payment gateway like Stripe or PayPal, check that the servers adhere to PCI Compliance standards. 

The firewall, which is a piece of software created to safeguard your website by screening requests to your web server, is one of the most crucial. Certain requests are then blocked before they could even reach the server. This is done on the basis of a number of variables.

  1. Use SSL certificates.

There is a virtual certificate the name of which is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). This enables the creation of a secure connection between a server and its users. Any website that collects private user data, such as credit card numbers, must comply with this. An SSL certificate is one of the facilities provided by the web hosting company being used by the firm.

With the use of SSL plugins, each request is forwarded to HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure). It is the online protocol for safe online communication and one of the simplest ways to protect your e-commerce business from fraud. Due to certification, HTTPS websites are recognized as being genuine and safe as they open up with the icon of a green lock in the address bar of the internet browser. 

  1. Make a recurring backup

A backup is similar to an insurance policy for your website. Although you hope you never need to use them, you will be happy about the fact that you have them in the first place if the need ever arises. In case things go wrong and you do not possess a safe backup, some of the things you can lose are sales, order data, and consumer trust in the case that your online store shifts to offline mode.

How long of a time would be required to rebuild your website from scratch? Do you realize that this may be your worst nightmare? By selecting hosts that offer help securing backup, such situations can just be prevented in the first place. So, get the best eCommerce hosting for your online store and easily backup your website.

Conclusion

Wherever there is money, thieves will follow. You should be well-versed in the most recent e-commerce security protocols if you’re an online business owner. Precaution is always preferable to cure, as you are aware. An online store is no different in that way. You must make sure that your e-commerce security is a top priority.

Why You Must Have An SSL Certificate

We use the internet for everything these days, from sending crucial information over the world to purchasing and selling goods and services. With the rise in the usage of the internet, cybersecurity has become a serious concern. The reality is that there are dangerous cyber-crooks who look for chances anywhere and everywhere to get their hands on your data. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to protect oneself online. If you have a website, you should use an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate to protect it.

If you have a website, even if it’s a simple one, you’re probably wondering if you need an SSL certificate. With all of your other expenses building up, you could be tempted to forego one more bill. You may have also heard a lot about SSL certificates. However, what exactly is the big deal about these certificates, and do you need one for your website? 

A Glance At SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate or a TLS certificate is a kind of digital file that secures and authenticates your website. It ties your company’s cryptographic key with the brand, ensuring that anyone else can not use it. It’s an important part of establishing a protected website, and it’s what causes the protected padlock to appear in the URL bar. It’s also what causes the “HTTPS” to emerge at the start of the URL. An SSL Certificate establishes an encrypted connection between your website server and a visitor’s browser after it is installed.

HTTPS is a secure protocol, While HTTP is not. Anyone with a basic understanding of things would know that it is much preferable to use a secure form of mechanism to share private and sensitive data than to use an insecure one.  

If an insecure HTTP protocol is employed by users to create a link to websites that do not have SSL/ TLS certificates, then the data is sent across untrustworthy connections. That private information is moving around on the internet for hackers to steal and manipulate and then later exploit. The advantage of utilizing connections with sites that possess SSL/ TLS certificates is that cybercriminals are not able to access your data since it is encrypted. Encrypted data cannot be intercepted by anyone.

In its most basic form, the SSL certificate allows you to encrypt data that travels between your customers’ clients as well as your server. SSL achieves this by permitting your server to authenticate itself to customers. 

Technically, this certificate provides your web server with data and instructions which can be utilized to create safe interactions with users. Previously, all these were accomplished using the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)  protocol. But now, the TLS protocol (also known as the transport layer security) is the preferred secure protocol. As a result, we previously said that these are TLS certificates. 

What Is The Need For An SSL Certificate?

It was announced in late 2014 by Google that security would be a ranking consideration. When you have an SSL certificate installed on your site, it gives you a slight growth in Google ranking. Google Chrome began labeling websites that gather login and payment card details as insecure in 2017.

The latest development, which occurred in July 2018, had an impact on everyone. That’s when Chrome began labeling any site without an SSL certification as ‘Not a Secure website.’ Regardless of whether data collection takes place by a website or not, Google is hinting that secure websites will become the norm. 

New rollouts are expected to happen all through 2018, and Chrome will no longer label secure websites with a green colour padlock. Rather, SSL-secured websites will display black lettering without any padlock. This would hint at the normality of SSL in the industry. As opposed to this, websites that do not have SSL certificates would be marked with a red warning signifying that it is not secure. 

Risks Of Not Having An SSL Certificate

There has been a massive surge in the complaints reported about cybercrime all over the world. This, of course, emphasizes the significance of data protection and security. SSL/TLS certificates are merely one of many important cogs in the complicated data security mechanism. Failing to get an SSL certificate makes your website and your users vulnerable to various threats. 

If your website does not possess one, it will be flagged by Google as insecure. Websites in the hold of SSL certificates are provided a greater preference by Google. This would subsequently spell bad news for your business. Your rival companies with SSL certificates would be able to top you in Google’s ratings, even if you had made more efforts.

Apart from this, there are other consequences of not possessing an SSL certificate.

  • Attacks: A mitM attack happens if a cybercriminal intercepts data transmitted between users’ web customers and the server, as we’ve already discussed. An SSL certificate is much more than a ‘nice-to-have’ for your website. They are now considered indispensable. A secure website is ensured through this for you and your visitors. 
  • Data leaks: When you’re not using a secure and safe connection that is encrypted, there’s a risk of data leakage in situations where you send or receive data.
  • Phishing Attacks: This occurs, when your site fails to have an SSL certificate, you are also failing to verify your site and your company. Because customers can’t tell the difference between genuine websites and sketchy ones, your brand is ultimately more likely at the risk of phishing attempts.
  • Suspicious Browsers: We all wish to have our website at the top of the search results when the name of your brand is entered into a search engine. Moreover, few people know that if you don’t use an SSL/TLS certification on your own website, the main browsers would not be able to trust it. These include Chrome and Firefox as well.
  • Noncompliance: Not having a TLS certificate for your website creates more problems. There is a chance that it might result in noncompliance difficulties with industry laws including GDPR, HIPAA, FIPS, CCPA, and PCI DSS.

Conclusion

While customers believe they are getting more security-aware, fraudsters are adapting and coming up with new ways to deceive them. These evil guys are finding more and more novel tricks that would help them in defrauding people and businesses and causing general havoc. An SSL certificate not only helps you earn your client’s trust but also protects their data against man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks.

An SLS certificate is not a necessary prerequisite for opening up your website. However, if you fail to acquire one, the chances of your company achieving success are substantially reduced. Since most search engines would not trust you either, you would have a hard time establishing an online presence.

Better WordPress Security In 5 Easy Steps

WordPress is amongst the most common targets for cybersecurity threats, as it powers more than 40% of the internet. Furthermore, because it is open-source software, any developer may contribute to it, and there may be certain weaknesses in the code. Cyber thieves use WordPress security flaws and other difficulties that may be easily prevented, such as popular usernames, weak passwords, obsolete plugins, and so on.

The Most Common WordPress Security Vulnerabilities And Issues

  • Core software that is out of date

One of the factors that hackers seek in a website is out-of-date core software. That’s why you should be aware whenever an application or library receives an update.

  • Themes and plugins that are no longer supported

Ensure that all of your plugins and themes are up to date so that any current problems are addressed in the most recent release.

  • Attackers using brute force

Using a security plugin or establishing brute force mitigation with your hosting services provider are two approaches to prevent brute force assaults.

  • Malware

On a regular basis, use malware detectors and cleaning services to prevent the insertion of harmful software into your website.

Here Are Five Simple Steps For Increasing WordPress Security

1. Enforce the use of strong passwords

Yes, the majority of individuals choose to use their birthdate as their password. Do you realize who enjoys it the most? Attackers.

So, what is it that works? Passwords that are difficult to guess. It’s fantastic to have long, random sequences of letters and symbols. The difficulty is that we tend to write things down since they are difficult to recall. If you lose the book in which you recorded them, an assailant will have the keys to the house. (It doesn’t matter if the book is physical or electronic.)

If you have normal users as well as admins, writers, and other higher-level accounts, you may want to just impose strong passwords on the higher-level accounts to limit the amount of friction your users experience when registering and login into your site. 

Invest in a passcode if you want to deal with passcodes without writing them down. The majority of new ones function on both mobile and desktop devices and synchronize your data across all of them.

2. Admin Username should be changed

It’s a no-brainer on this one. STOP using admin, administrator, or any other username that is simple to guess as to your administrator’s identity! An attacker only needs two things to get access to your site: a username and a password. You’ve already given them 50% of what they really want if you use the default admin account. Let’s make it a bit more difficult.

To manually modify the admin name, follow these steps:

  • Use your current Admin account to log in.
  • Click “Add New” under “Users.”
  • Make a new user account and give it the role of Admin. Except for Admin, Administrator, or your name, you can choose whatever username you like.
  • Sign out of WordPress and sign back in with your new Admin username and password.
  • Click Users to see a list of users, then click “Delete” under your original administrator account. To avoid losing any material, make sure you choose “Attribute content to” and your new admin account.

3. HTTPS must be enforced

You really should be doing this one. If you’ve been sleeping under a rock, Google came out and announced a number of years ago that if your website isn’t using HTTPS, it would be ranked lower than other HTTPS sites. Apart from SEO, HTTPS encrypts all of your traffic and keeps it safe from prying eyes. If you’re not using HTTPS, any user at a cafe is broadcasting anything to anyone who chooses to look. (To put it another way, “sniff the Wi-Fi”)

You’ll need to acquire and install a security certificate through your hosting provider. You must then instruct WordPress to update its URL to HTTPS.

4. Two-factor authentication should be implemented

‘Two-factor Authentication,’ or 2FA, is a security idea that has been around for a while. Financial institutions have used “Fobs” (small devices that may be attached to your keychain and display an ever-altering number) as an extra component in logging in for decades.

“Something you know, something that you have, something you are” is the overall security notion. Two of them are chosen in 2FA. You only use the “something you know” – the username and password – when you sign in to a site without 2FA. There is a potential that they’ll be compromised, no matter how solid you believe they are. On top of it, 2FA adds a layer called “something you have.”

5. Make sure your plugins are up to date

I don’t just mean the important ones; I’m talking about every plugin you’ve put on your site, and every time it gets updated. What are the benefits of keeping your plugins up to date? 

Of course, the biggest reason is WordPress security. When security WordPress vulnerabilities are reported, good plugin writers respond quickly and provide patches. You won’t need to do anything if you already have auto-update enabled; you’ll automatically receive the latest code. If you don’t, go to Plugins, press the update button, watch things all update, and then attempt to recall why you signed in in the first place as soon as you go in and observe that there are updates.

Conclusion

The trick to site safety is that it’s not about performing one huge thing, but rather a number of small things. These simple actions can help you strengthen the security of your WordPress website. Each additional layer of protection you put on your website makes it more difficult for hackers to get access. To be safe, you don’t have to have a secure site; all you have to do is make the attacker work harder than it’s worth to get in. Attackers ultimately tire of easier targets, such as those whose owners haven’t seen this blog article.