web hosting

How to Find Secure Shared Hosting

If you are looking to save money on building and managing a website, shared hosting may be the way to go.  Shared hosting is incredibly affordable these days, so much that you can have a personal or business website for just a couple of dollars a month.   What makes this arrangement so affordable?  With shared hosting, you are literally sharing disk space and various resources with other customers.  This allows the web hosting provider to rake in guaranteed profits while keeping expenses to a minimum.  Shared hosting is very economical but there are some drawbacks to this type of arrangement, mainly security.

The major issue with shared hosting has always been the same – the availability of security and the fact that this platform can only be so secure.  Without adequate protection, the web host’s server is vulnerable to a wide range of threats including DDoS attacks, malware infection and network intrusion.  You could also be exposed to attacks such as SQL injection, cross site scripting and even the malicious actions of your neighbors on the server.  When your hosting environment isn’t properly secured, you stand the risk of losing the most sensitive of information.

Security is definitely an issue in the shared hosting environment, one that could make the low cost an uneven trade.  The good thing is that several web hosting providers are aware of these vulnerabilities and they are taking the necessary approaches to deliver a secure service.  When looking for a company to host your site, we recommend keeping the following security considerations in mind.

Protection from Thy Neighbor

When assessing the security of a particular web host, you must not only analyze the protection offered against outside threats, but security that keeps you protected against other website owners on the server.  You never know who you’re sharing the server with, as they could be into dealing porn, distributing spam or malicious software.  A few of your next door neighbors just might be prolific computer hackers.  To keep yourself protected in this regard, you should make sure the provider doesn’t allow any unsolicited code to be executed or access to your directories.

Clean Code

One of the biggest threats to your website lies in the code used to build your applications.  When they are not properly scripted, intruders can use them as an entrance to your data and reap major havoc.  You can minimize the possibility of common website exploits by ensuring that the web hosting company offers the latest in development tools whether its PHP and MySQL or ASP and MS Access.  Most importantly, it is up to you to make sure you are coding your applications and web pages in a secure manner.

Security Features

There are also a number of features that will give you an idea of how secure a particular web hosting platform is.  This includes protection for the actual server such as software that defends against DDoS attacks and viruses as well firewalls and network intrusion systems to fend off hackers.  If your site is to involve online business transactions, you will also require SSL support to protect your customers’ credit card information.  When making sure all the vital security issues are addressed, you can better your chances of enjoying a smooth run in the shared hosting environment.

NTTA To Unveil White Paper on Network Security

The internet consists of many dangers with threats seemingly lurking in every crevice of cyberspace.  We often hear words of warning for the everyday computer user, but the truth is that these malicious scams and infections can be just as, if not more damaging to large corporate networks.   NTT Communications intends to place emphasis on the importance of network security at the upcoming IEEE conference.

NTTA (NTTA America) Inc., wholly owned subsidiary of web hosting and services company NTT Communications, is set to discuss its latest white paper on network security.  The white paper focuses on the increasing number and development of network attacks, the impact of “silent threats” and how both small and large networks can help to mitigate these growing problems.  The paper is set to be presented by Darren Grabowski, manager of NTT American Security and Abuse Team, on December 1 at the IEEE Globecom 2008 conference in New Orleans.  The white paper will be publicly available at NTT America’s website starting on December 3.

Grabowski states that spam, phishing, malicious software and DDoS attacks are all growing problems that just are not going to go away.  He says that small and large networks must work cohesively to deploy monitoring systems and report their findings to mitigate these threats.  Grabowski ended by remarking that most companies already have such tools incorporated into their networks, saying that more of them simply need to invest a small amount of time and effort into using these mechanisms and protecting themselves in a more proactive manner.

The firm is presenting the white paper as a part of a broader initiative spearheaded by NTT’s Dr. Kazuhiko Ohkubo.  Along with other panelists, Ohkubo will be introducing comprehensive approaches in regard to better security in advanced telecommunications networks, basing new service creations on the ring of trust and secure ROI management.

Aptly titled “The Silent Threat”, the white paper touches on how millions of computers connected to the internet are being compromised at an alarming rate.  It also reveals how a single botnet initiation has the ability to enslave thousands of machines, abuse the internet infrastructure and cause financial havoc.  The white paper outlines the measures small and large networks can take to mitigate these common threats simply by utilizing many of the tools they already have in place.  Darren Grabowski believes such measures will prevent attacks while keeping expenses at a minimum.

The NTT America Security and Abuse Team has the task of responding to security and abuse issues such as spam, port scanning, malware, DDoS attacks and across NTT’s entire Global IP Network.  They are also responsible for consistently monitoring the network, utilizing a number of tools such as those that look for trends in bandwidth consumption in comparison to legitimate traffic, as minimal consumption often shows signs of a silent threat.

As a U.S. subsidiary of NTT Communications Corporation, NTT America acts as North America’s gateway to the Asia-Pacific region.  It provides world-class IP networking services, managed network and enterprise hosting solutions to customers and service providers throughout the world.