subject: Why Security Is Important In Shared Web Hosting [print this page] Has your website been hacked? Are you running high and low in search of security solutions? Why has this happened to your website?
The trouble lies in using open source software. Open source means that the code is available for the general public to scrutinize. Anyone can just download a copy of the software for free and look at the code. Inopportunely, this leads to security loop holes being discovered and abused.
In fact, the hackers are deliberately targeting sites that are powered by open source software. The more popular the software, the higher the risk. The hacker can just discover a security vulnerability once, and take advantage of that vulnerability across thousands of sites on the web.
If your website has been hacked, ask yourself. Are you using a popular open source software to power your website? A little examples include Wordpress, Joomla, and Magento.
Many of these software allow third party extensions to be installed. For instance, you can easily download free plugins if you are using Wordpress. The Core platform may be secure. But when you install third party plugins, security may be compromised.
How does a web hosting provider respond in such situations?
In the past, almost all hosting providers do not wish to catch involved with security issues. They just want to host your sites. As long as the servers are up and running, they have done their job. Scripting troubles? Security troubles? Go somewhere else to look for solutions. So never expect to catch a positive response from technical support when your site is hacked. Usually, the only solution they add (which is kind of useless) is - update your scripts. Many webmasters continue to find that their websites are compromised even after updating to the latest scripts. That is because you can't possibly update all the plugins and cover all security loopholes at one go.
Besides, there is the trouble of having a backdoor planted on your website. A backdoor can be script that is deliberately left on the server so that the hacker can have access to the server at a later time. If the backdoor is not removed, updating the scripts would have been futile. The hacker doesn't even need to exploit loopholes the next time he or she wants access to the server. The hacker can do so via the backdoor.
Security troubles become so rampant that hosting companies are FORCED to find solutions to these troubles. Otherwise, they may lose a big portion of their users. Imagine having thousand of webmasters with no ready security solutions. If they can't operate the sites, they will just cancel their hosting accounts. That is just bad business for hosting companies.
Programs like sitelock help to beef up the security of your website. Check with your hosting provider to see if any security programs are included in your hosting plan.
