As an online business owner, the security of your website should be at the top of your priority list. Web hosting security is a field that is constantly evolving, with new threats developing every day. Just as you work hard on a daily basis to improve the quality of your website, hackers work just as diligently to circumvent the security measures put in place by your web hosting service provider. The detrimental effects of compromised security can range from minor to major. You may simply experience a short downtime/data loss, or you may even be the victim of fraud. One of the worst scenarios that occurs regularly is when a webmaster is blamed for fraud due to their website being hacked.

When the security of your website is compromised and an intruder gains access to your administrative interface, there is often no way for the defrauded client to distinguish between the actions of you and the hacker. This can result in the loss of your website, your business, lawsuits,  and in some cases even unjustified incarceration!

Fighting an Infinite Yet Invisible Threat

When you think of a hacker, you probably envision a young kid sitting in his mother’s basement typing extremely fast, trying to hack into databases manually. Unfortunately, this is not how hacking works in reality. Real hackers do not do tons of work manually, they use networks of “drones” to do their dirty work for them. These drones are personal computers that have been “hi-jacked” and are being used to carry out small individual tasks that ultimately compromise the security of a server or a network of servers. A single hacker can have as many as 20,000 drones, or more, carrying out pre-set functions at any time. In fact, your personal computer at home may be a drone! If your computer’s RAM is being consumed by a hidden application or “virus” then there is a small chance that your computer’s resources are being used by a hacker!

Resistant Viruses

Online viruses are similar to biological viruses, as they are constantly mutating and becoming stronger and more resistant to treatment. To prevent your personal computer from becoming the victim of a new virus, it is important to keep your anti-virus software updated.  Choosing a web hosting company that updates their security measures regularly will prevent your website from becoming a victim as well. This bring us to our next segment.

Security Capabilities of Your Hosting Provider

If you are like 90 percent of webmasters, then chances are your website is hosted by a third-party hosting service.  It is important to realize that many of these hosting companies are losing employees regularly due to the falling economy, and simply do not have the resources necessary to combat the ever-growing security threats in modern cyber-space. Since the security of your website is in the hands of a third-party company, it is important to make the necessary inquiries regarding their manpower, server capabilities and support staff. Choosing a cheap web host is not recommended for a serious online business owner.

An Example of a Serious Security Threat

Some hackers engage in the practice of “click stealing.” Click stealing is when a hacker places a redirect link over a button on your website, causing the information to be secretly sent to a third-party website. This is especially dangerous when the information is private financial information. An example would be an order form submit button. The hacker “steals” the click from the submit button, and the information is redirected to a phony web page that mimics the check out page of your website. This is a serious threat, and if you are using a third-party host it is important to make sure they are aware of this.

Resentful Employees

If you run a large online business, with tech savvy employees, it is important to change your site’s passwords and security configuration every time you fire an employee. Some employee’s may attempt to seek revenge if they are resentful towards your decision to terminate them.

Security becomes more of a challenge everyday for website owners and administrators.  If it isn’t someone trying to deface your homepage and enrage your audience, it is another looking to commit more heinous acts such as stealing sensitive information or putting your identity in jeopardy.  In order to keep yourself protected, it is a must that you stay aware of the emerging threats.  Here are a few stirring up some of the most trouble in 2009.

Zombie Armies

Although zombie armies and DDoS attacks on large servers and networks is nothing new, this combined threat continues to be a major problem.  Security experts are projecting that the issue will likely worsen as computer systems increasingly rely on wireless connections to the internet.  Therefore, while this threat has been around for sometime, you should never get too relaxed and think your website or server is immune to exploitation.  On a good note, there are a few methods you have at your disposal that have proven to effectively combat an attack should the enslaved army of computers come your way.

Click Jacking

Another security threat on the rise, click jacking is pretty much what it sounds like: the act of hijacking a click.  A perfect example would be an intruder replacing the form button on your site with a button of their own.  Doesn’t sound all that menacing?  However, consider this – a new customer goes to enter their credit card information via the form on your website.  When clicking the button, the user is redirected to a rogue site where they are prompted to enter their financial details.  If they happen to fall for this trick, the customer could be out of their funds and you could possibly be out of business for allowing it to happen.  Click jacking can be very difficult to detect as the visitor could end up on the fraudulent site without even realizing they have left your domain.  Difficulty aside, this is one threat you need to learn how to prevent as it is becoming widespread at a disturbing rate.

Advanced Virus Strains

A number of security reports are showing that virus programs are growing more sophisticated and difficult to detect.  Easy access to malicious tools have enabled code writers to create viruses that elude scanners, allowing them to do so with less skills and less effort.  These findings give indication that more advanced virus scanning solutions are warranted.  Experts are hinting that systems of the very near future may do away with the today’s signature-based scanning in favor of techniques such as application whitelisting or application heuristics.  These methods could end up being integral parts of your virus defense mechanisms.

The clan of internet criminals are working overtime to wreak havoc in the year 2009 and beyond.  What we have listed in this article are just a few of numerous threats you need to be aware of.  In order to ensure an adequate level of protection, we recommend getting together with your administrator or hosting provider to discuss the areas and security issues that concern you the most.