Why Web Hosting Security Is Critical for Any Site

March 21, 2024 by Staff Writer

One of the lesser-known aspects of hosting a website is paying attention to its security. If your website is not secure, not only your, but also your client's data gets exposed to hackers. Everyone has the right to access the internet. So, it is doubly essential for you to secure your website and remove any possibility of it getting exploited by cybercriminals.

That is why successful businesses entrust the upkeep of their website to the most reputable web hosting providers. They offer robust measures. These include data backups, use of a content distribution network (CDN) service, and access restriction policies.

In this post, we will go over the importance of web hosting security in more detail.

What Is Web Hosting Security?

Web hosting security means the practices for keeping your website safe. It also means shielding your website server from the access of cybercriminals. Web hosting security comes in the form of many features. These include creating site backups, strong passwords, and two-factor authentication.

Securing a web server protects your assets and the data of your customers from hackers. The security services enable your site to run smoothly. It prevents all chances of downtime, data loss, and consequently, a loss of revenue.

5 Reasons Why Web Hosting Security Matters

The following reasons will make the importance of website hosting security clear to you:.

1. Safety From Hacking Attempts

Did you know that today, almost 40,000 to 60,000 websites are being hacked every single day? Cybercrime is growing with each passing year.

However, not all of the attacks are successful. Many are mitigated through web hosting security. The attacks are shut down before they are able to cause costly damage.

It means that the right technology and strategy are key to operating successfully online. This is one reason why website hosting security is so crucial.

If your site does get hacked, the backups available as part of hosting security best practices prevent you from losing your data.

2. Detection And Removal Of Malware

Malware is one of the most common threats to website security. It refers to any program or software that invades your device, steals or damages your data, or spies on your activity.

Malware often gets downloaded onto users' devices when they are browsing or streaming unsecure sites. This is especially the case when using third-party apps or add-ons. For instance, people often stream content through third-party add-ons on media players like Kodi. These add-ons can contain malware, which cybercriminals can use to access their devices. So, to protect your privacy on Kodi, the use of a VPN is recommended.

Similarly, to avoid malware infiltrating your website, malware scanning is recommended. It stops data theft and damage to your website. Good web hosting providers offer malware scanning on managed hosting plans.

Malware scanning analyzes websites and learns from them to detect even the most complex malware. Such a solution is critical for your website's overall security.

3. Protection of Sensitive Personal Information

For eCommerce websites that deal with sensitive customer data, security is paramount. One of the ways it is achieved is through SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). This layer is the layer of encryption on the way data travels between the web server and the browser.

This prevents the data of customers on an eCommerce website from being stolen. Through it, security of credit card numbers, contact details, and personal information of the buyers remain secure.

4. Protection of Website Network from Unauthorized Access

Proactive website security measures prevent your website from being a victim of security incidents. This security comes from network monitoring. It is a part of web hosting security, which refers to analyzing data from different sources.

This data is used to detect threats before they occur. Network monitoring tools monitor website traffic patterns and performance metrics. The tools proactively detect network problems, intrusions, and potential threats.

When you know about potential threats, you can mitigate them before they affect your website.

5. Ensures Regulatory Compliance

Web hosting security is also critical to ensuring compliance with regulations. These mainly include the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and the General Data Protection Regulation. To comply with these regulations, website owners must take suitable action to safeguard confidential data.

They must ensure that this data can only be accessed by those with relevant permissions. GDPR-compliant web hosting clearly specifies in its privacy policies how it will gather, process, and protect your sensitive data. It also specifies the procedure for handling complaints and the manner in which you will get updated about policy changes.

GDPR-compliant web hosting also proposes a data processing agreement. This agreement regulates the responsibilities of web hosts when processing personal data on your behalf.

3 Important Steps to Choose a Secure Web Hosting Provider

Today, there are a number of secure web hosting providers. They provide budget-friendly options and claim to secure your website reliably. But you shouldn't trust them based solely on what they are saying. It is essential to do your own independent research.

Use these steps to figure out the most reliable web hosting provider.

1. Examine the Basic Security Features

Have a good knowledge of basic web hosting security features. These include malware scanning, proactive server monitoring, SSL/TLS certificates, and firewalls. Besides, automatic updates are also crucial to prevent data loss. Your chosen web host should provide all these basic security features.

2. Protection from DDoS Attacks

DDoS protection is crucial for any website. Referred to as a distributed denial of service attack, it is an attempt to disrupt the usual traffic on a web property. The attacker aims to render a network resource unavailable to its intended users. It does this by disrupting the services of the host linked to the network.

If your website falls victim to such an attack, it can potentially disrupt your business. So, you should choose web hosts who use DDoS attack prevention measures. They should use methods like restricting traffic to locations and blocking communication from unused ports and applications.

Secure web hosts also use a powerful firewall. This prevents hackers from getting through to your network. So, while searching for a provider, shortlist those who have DDoS prevention tools for your website's safety.

3. The availability of reliable backup options

Regular website backups help you restore your website quickly if a security breach occurs. It also preserves the sensitive information of your audience. Your web host should offer automatic backups.

This will let you schedule backups at regular intervals. The web hosting service should also provide a backup policy. It becomes useful in the event that something goes wrong. The backup services ensure the protection of your website data at all times.

So, make sure that you choose a provider that has a good backup policy. Another thing to consider is the restore points. These ensure that you have a clean backup if it's needed. The feature is immensely helpful if your website is hit by ransomware or malware. Through it, you can restore a recent backup.

Summing up

In today's digital landscape, web hosting security is a necessity for any website owner. With the increasing frequency of cyber threats, safeguarding your website is of utmost importance. A trusted hosting provider can protect your site from hacking attempts and ensure compliance with regulations. Prioritizing security safeguards both your customers and your business. Thus, it ensures smooth operations and trustworthiness online.