In 2007 StopBadWare, a joint effort by Google, Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet Security and Oxford University's Internet Institute, identified more than 90,000 websites that attempted to install malicious software on visitors computers via Internet browser security holes or programming tricks.
What was troubling is that the report showed that about 90 percent of the sites flagged as serving "badware" appeared to be otherwise legitimate sites that had been hijacked by criminals.
Essentially cyber criminals had hacked into poorly secured websites, infecting files that then began maliciously attacking site visitors and further propagating the computer virus.
The result...? Google immediately red-flagged each infected website with a big, bold warning page.
Obviously this is NOT the sort of first impression you want to present visitors to your website and could have easily been avoided had the web host taken good security measures.
When choosing a website you should ask yourself, does your web host have good security practices?
A good web hosting company will:
* Ensure the latest patches and upgrades are applied to their software
* NEVER run outdated web software
* Monitor for security loopholes on a regular cycle
* Run firewall software (a technology that blocks unauthorized incoming connections).
Unfortunately, the web hosting industry is in its infancy and is currently unregulated, meaning there is no guaranteed your web hosting company is performing the security practices it should be.
On the other hand ensuring a secure website is not just the web hosting company's responsibility. There are steps that you as the webmaster should do to ensure your website is safe and secure:
* Don't use weak passwords on any accounts on your hosting site
* Ensure that file privileges are set to the adequate level of security.
* If your website performs an e-commerce function, you should ensure you have a valid SSL certificate in place.
* Also, do not depend on your web hosting company to keep uninfected copies of your web pages, check your website regularly and keep an identical backup in place. This way, upon noticing something fishy you can replace your infected entire site simply and immediately.
* Finally, be careful that any script you upload to your site is not malicious and be wary of allowing inexperienced amateurs to design your website.
One final tip: If there is ANY news, or comment from other users that your web hosting service does not maintain a secure platform, then pack up shop and find another. In the long run, you'll be thankful you did.
To learn much more about the different types of Web Hosts, visit http://www.webhostinginformant.com/ where you'll learn the ins and outs of web hosting and design.
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