How to Secure your Dedicated Server

Nothing is completely safe nowadays, which makes it perfectly acceptable for anyone and everyone to go paranoid where security is concerned. The number of security breaches is on the rise and everything is at risk, which also includes your dedicated server. Even if you opt for reliable dedicated servers that offers services like firewalls, DDoS protection and other options, they can only improve security, but not guarantee it. Does this mean you cannot keep your dedicated server secure? Definitely not. The first thing you need to do is understand the dedicated server security vulnerabilities you may have to face and then deal with them accordingly.

Let’s take a look at some of these security vulnerabilities and how they can be fixed:

Password breach

Tight security and control are one of the primary reasons why a number of businesses decide to go with dedicated servers. However, hackers still find a way to get into the hosting account and destroy/damage the data with more sophisticated tricks. So, how to deal with it? You implement a vigorous password policy.

When you get a new dedicated server, it is essential to change the passwords. This is because hosting providers set default passwords that can increase your security vulnerability. When it comes to choosing a good password, you should avoid using words that are related to your personal identity and not keep the same password for a long time. It is also recommended that you choose a random combination of lower and uppercase letters, symbols and numbers.

Malware risk

Installing an application in dedicated servers is immensely easy, which increases the risk of malware considerably. The problem with malware is that it can copy your most confidential and sensitive databases. They can be bundled with legitimate applications and scripts, which makes it difficult to spot them. How to counter it?

First and foremost, you should look for a dedicated server provider who can provide ongoing scanning for vulnerabilities. Secondly, you should keep an eye on your website for any unexpected behavior. It is also a god idea to test all the software on an isolated and secure home device before it is uploaded on your website.

DoS attack

Server unavailability and failure are the consequences of a DoS (Denial of Service) attack because it overwhelms the system with traffic. One of the types of DoS attacks is a DDoS attack where several malicious software work together for wasting your hardware resources, ruining the experience of legitimate customers and flooding your server with traffic. How to prevent it?

The best way to eliminate the risk of a DoS attack is not just to choose a 1Gbps dedicated server, but also go for one that has generous system resources and the best possible hardware. Also, you need to ensure that the hosting provider you select provides a quality perimeter firewall for stopping malicious data before it enters your server.

Regularly update software

If you are not updating your software regularly, you are making a big mistake. When you use outdated software, you are using a program that doesn’t have security patches, updates and other protections that are vital for keeping your information safe. Therefore, it is crucial for you to install the latest version of the software whenever it becomes available on your dedicated server. Another way you can protected and updated is by using a reliable dedicated security scan.

Website security

If there are any loopholes in your serve, they can be exploited by intruders and they can misuse the sensitive and confidential data that you have. What steps should be taken for dealing with this security risk? You simply cannot ignore the importance of updating and maintaining your data. You have to ensure that your database remains safe from SQL injection. This is even more necessary if you are collecting sensitive information about your customers.

Apart from that, you should delete any unwanted data, minimize the privileges given to database users and also avoid areas of interaction between the database and clients when they are not needed.

Data backups

Having your data backed up should be a top priority for every business. You need to set up regular data backups and make sure important data is saved and copied elsewhere so that it can be retrieved in case you lose it for some reason. A plan should be outlined for data restoration in case your external data is compromised or there is hard drive failure. Moreover, offsite backups are also important and they should be verifiable, accessible, at a sufficient distance away from the original backup location and it should be physically secure.

As long as you are aware of these risks and know how they can be mitigated, you will be able to keep your dedicated server secure in the best possible way.