Ever since the launch of cPanel in 1996, Linux hosting management has been simplified and nearly 30 years later, it is still the most preferred control panel for website owners as well as web hosting providers. Therefore, it’ll be a smart decision if you plan to buy cpanel web hosting for your website.
The cPanel has undergone numerous version updates, and every update maximizes complexity, making it more likely for attackers to identify vulnerabilities. However, you can minimize the risks by following advanced security techniques to avoid becoming a victim of a malicious attack.
In this blog, we’ll share the best security practices concerning securing buy shared web hosting
But before we proceed, let’s understand why it is necessary to secure your website.
In order to develop a premium website, you're required to invest time and money. But having said that, without advanced security measures, you can put your website at risk.
According to Statista, around 72.7% of all businesses fell prey to a ransomware attack in 2023 around the world.
Because of this, website owners need to take regular measures to protect their websites.
Furthermore, defending against cyber threats is a major benefit of maintaining excellent website security protocols, including other benefits like:
Here are the best-advanced security techniques for your cPanel hosting:
SSH allows remote users to access commands and OS handling over an insecure network. It's quite common for system administrators to have SSH access, but not all users in your company have it. If you want SSH to keep running on your server, follow the below steps for advanced security:
Develop SSH keys with the help of WHM (Web Host Manager) for the root user and turn off password authentication for SSH in the WHM Password Authorization Tweak interface.
In the file /etc/ssh/sshd_config, modify the SSH port, protocol, ListenAddress, and PermitRootLogin settings. Use the suggested values that the cPanel website has for these settings. Utilize an alternative post, by moving away from port 22.
Apache is integral to Linux web hosting and it has been the most preferred open-source web server app for a long time since its introduction in 1999. Similar to other web server software, Apache must be updated and patched whenever new versions are released.
By following regular security enhancement practices, you can minimize the chances of compromise. Otherwise, you can also use EasyApache to handle installation, updates, and configurations.
Disable directory listing by changing the following line in the file /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf:
Options FollowSymLinks
To the:
Options FollowSymLinks
Once you change the file, restart Apache.
Service Configuration >>> Apache Configuration >>> Global Configuration Documentation
In this configuration window, turn off signatures, eversion, tokens, and tracing, and turn on the symbolic link protection.
Another important element at the center of your web hosting system is the operating system; therefore, it must be set up in such a way that it can withstand any attack. Not all strategies are 100% free from risk, but an ideal operating system setting drastically minimizes the chances of a vulnerable system.
Whenever you install any application or need to store temporary files, it makes use of the tmp directory. This temp directory is utilized for temporary file storage and sometimes several applications use it for creating lock files.
The files stored in this directory can be utilized by the system, and they're deleted when the system reboots. If an attacker tries to compromise the server and runs applications, then that application might store malicious files in the tmp directory.
Safeguarding the tmp folder stops attackers from saving or using files in this directory. Configure the Linux OS using the following methods to safeguard his folder:
Use the following script example to completely secure the tmp partition:
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/securetmp <--help
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/securetmp <- secure /tmp and /var/tmp
In data processing, a compiler is a computer application that translates computer code written in one programming language into binary. Keeping a compiler on a web server gives attackers the power to compile their own scripts if they get restricted shell access at the time of compromise.
In other words, when a malicious attacker uploads its malicious code and executes it on the server, it is highly unlikely that the antivirus software will detect it if it's a zero-day exploit. A web server also doesn't require compilers, provided it is hosted in unique and unusual cases.
A web server also doesn't require compilers, provided it is hosted for cybersecurity purposes. Compilers must be restricted or removed. If you're unable to remove the compilers completely, you must limit access to the root user.
Using WHM, disable compilers. To disable the compiler for any unauthorized user, you can use the Compiler Tweak option setting, which is found in the WHM's Security Center.
If something goes wrong on the server, it can result in downtime for users, for example, cPanel users. A single server can possibly break hundreds of websites; therefore, it is important that users always get to access cPanel.
System monitoring includes supervising multiple components of the system, such as user activity, application activity, performance, and network connectivity. It is the responsibility of system administrators to analyze monitoring reports, but the right tool must notify administrators whenever malicious activities are identified.
You can use one or more server monitoring tools, but they should check the right components on the server.
Server monitoring is also necessary for compliance, so it is inevitable for the majority of web hosts. Without all this, your website downtime can be variably long, which affects your brand reputation, decreases user satisfaction, and violates SLAs.
Some of the most important things you must monitor on a server include:
A web hosting server possesses a public and private IP address. The public IP address is essential for online customers but the private IP address must be limited to system administrators and customer applications that definitely require access to the hosting provider.
For instance, any person within the company on the private subnet must have access to the web server, but anybody with a public IP address must not be able to access particular server resources.
The Apache Listen directive restricts listening to ports on a particular IP address. Inherently, the web server will listen to a particular port on all IPs.
Firewalls can be utilized to whitelist different services available on the server. By blocking off unnecessary services, no traffic reaches the web server if not otherwise specified on the firewall.
A web application firewall (WAF) protects a web server from application-centric attacks. For instance, WAF can identify malicious SQL input transmitted by a web form. Malicious attackers can have several application-based attacks to select from; therefore, you need to have a WAF that effortlessly identifies malicious traffic and informs system administrators.
The web application firewall reports also offer a comprehensive picture of traffic requests, thereby allowing system administrators to find a malicious host, IP address, or customer.
Application-based security encompasses much more than just the inputs of a website. A WAF secures cookie transfers by making sure that they are encrypted, looking for viruses in file uploads, blocking path traversal, logging activity on the host, and avoiding XSS (cross-site scripting) attacks.
This tool provides thorough cyber security for server environments where several apps are installed, such as ones that can't be authenticated by administrators.
If it is customer or system administrator passwords, they must be saved and applied with the help of best practices. Strong passwords are important for compliance with regulations. Passwords should be difficult to crack and be at least 8 characters long for apps that save confidential information.
Strong passwords are said to be insecure if they are saved with the help of cryptographically insecure ciphers. For instance, passwords must not be hashed with the help of MDs and saved in a database. They must be hashed using SHA2, SHA3, or any other cryptographically safe cipher authorized by NIST.
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cPanel server security is as important as network security and, at times, more crucial. MilesWeb's cPanel hosting servers always come with great features and based on the aforementioned advanced security techniques, you can drastically improve the security of your cPanel platform and decrease the chances of data breaches and loss.
Review and update your safety measures regularly to stay on top of potential threats and keep your server and website secure. Therefore, if your website gets compromised, attackers can not simply hamper the way your website is being shown; they can also steal the data, which could become available for them to use as required.
Just as always, if you've got any questions, please get in touch with us. We're happy to help you provide excellent service!