VPS hosting has found some out of the box applications with big and medium based e-commerce websites. Companies have been using the endless capabilities of the VPS host server but are unaware of the fact that the host needs some additional security measures along with it. There are so many threats that you need to check coming from unknown sources. Instead of changing your hosting provider, again and again, go the extra mile to secure your current VPS host. Mere security measures like updating and firewalls are not just enough. So here are some ways to improve the security of your VPS host-
Improve the Security of the VPS Host
- Automatic update modeThis is one of the most assured security measures for your VPS host. Updating and rebooting your VPS host is like breathing for your server. But there are times when you will not be able to take out time to update your OS settings. To tackle this, there is a feature wherein you can keep the update mode on “automatic” mode. It is necessary as an update not done in definite time intervals makes it easier for the hackers to find a loophole in your system. When not updated on time, your server will run on an older version that makes website hacking even easier. With automatic mode on, there is no need to worry about updating manually. The automatic mode feature comes along even with a cheap VPS hosting Automatic updating and rebooting systems reduce the vulnerability and the downtime of the server significantly.
- Avoid login via root user– Logging in via root user entitles anyone with additional powers and privileges. These privileges are like changing crucial server specifications without any re-authentication. People of the lower level authority when logging in via root user credentials, get the authority of a much higher level which definitely is a red flag. You can’t afford to take such a risk as it will jeopardize the security of your server. To avoid any negative actions, quickly disable the “login with root user” feature so that no one can fulfill their unprofessional intentions. Unauthenticated login via root user leads to more hacking instances which is an added disadvantage.
- Tough nut admin credentials– The admin account credentials should be the most protected account and must be a tough nut to crack. To make your admin account more secured, chose the most difficult account credentials. Never chose a username that can be easily guessed. There are some cliché usernames like “Administrator”, “admin”, “root”, etc. that can be guessed without any effort. Then comes the password which must be even tougher. Use the best combination of numbers, letters, special characters, etc. to protect your VPS server from brute force attacks (a cryptographic hack in which a hacker tries maximum possible combinations of the credentials).
- Latest version of the software-With the new software version, you automatically reduce the chances of attacks. Old versions of any software will always use old coding sequences which will be any time weaker than the new modified version. So, keep the software always updated to avoid such attacks. The CMS will help you in tracking the latest software versions and will automatically update them.
- Track the VPS server logs– To make your VPS server more secured, it is highly suggested to keep track of the server logs. Once you start keeping track of the server logs, the prediction of issues becomes a cakewalk. When you will control that server logs, you will be more informed about the resource usage trend, incoming traffic, frequent errors, technicalities, etc. It keeps you stay close to your business so that you can analyze issues more rationally.
- Setting up firewalls– It is always safer to set up your own firewall to secure your VPS server. Firewalls help in managing your database in a more proper way. Not only this, firewalls ease out the process of integrating control panels. Your firewall adds to the main firewall and further solidifies the security of the VPS hosting server.
- Always keep a backup– Although your hosting provider will keep a backup of your website, if you are going for a cheap VPS hostingservice then it is always better to keep a backup of your own. Nowadays there are plans for online as well as an offline backup. Go for such plans so that it reduces the burden of manual backup.
- Prefer Sftp for transferring files-Though many people prefer the FTP protocol it is not the optimum way for transferring files online. For this, we have Sftp protocol which is a safer option for transferring files online.
- All of these ways once incorporated make your VPS server more secured and a safe place to carry out mission-critical operations. So apart from the default security settings these steps are also essential. Also when you will start managing your VPS server, you gain more in-depth knowledge of server management. So next time, you buy VPS hosting services don’t forget to implement the steps mentioned. If you still experience security issues, then let us know so that we can come up with some more measures next time.
