While cyber-attacks have always been on the rise, the trend has become a lot more disturbing since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cyber attacks of all sorts, including malware attacks, phishing attacks, DDoS attacks, etc., have risen sharply. This is particularly distressing given that the pandemic has forced a lot of businesses to go online, and hackers now have a bigger pool of people to steal from.
With this in the background, it’s natural that more and more businesses want to fortify their websites, especially those with a lot of users or buyers. If you’re a website owner and your website runs on a Dedicated Server, there are several ways in which you can secure your website. A Dedicated Server offers you a lot more control over how exactly you want everything set up. This article takes a closer look at Dedicated Servers, their architecture that enables greater security, and specific ways through which you can secure your Dedicated Server.
What is a Dedicated Server?
A Dedicated Server is a physical, bare-metal server that’s used to cater to the needs of just one customer. Dedicated Servers are used for storage, gaming, editing, etc. and of course, for hosting websites.
In the web hosting industry, a Dedicated Server is used for Dedicated Hosting plans. These are plans where the entire server is dedicated to one customer or website, meaning the resources of the server aren’t shared with anyone.
Dedicated Hosting offers several advantages given that there’s just one customer using it. The most important advantage, perhaps, is that it offers complete control and root access to the server.
Root access is the highest level of administrative access to the server. It essentially allows you to do whatever you want on your Dedicated Server. You can install server-wide applications of your choice, install third-party applications, edit any file on the server, move and delete any file that you choose to, and more.
With root access, you can also configure the settings of the server to ensure the highest possible security. System admins, when powered with root access, can set your server up to be very secure.
How to Secure Your Dedicated Server?
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Use third-party security applications
There are a number of third-party security software and applications in the market today. From advanced malware scanners to DDoS protection software, you have a great range of applications to choose from.
Root access allows you to install any application that you wish to. So, take advantage of that and ensure that you have all the security applications that you might need.
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Update your system regularly
With servers and applications, you will notice that there are a lot of updates being pushed your way. While the sheer number of updates may seem frustrating, they often contain important security patches that protect your server.
Updating your OS and applications is a major strategy in reducing your risk exposure. If you find the number of updates overwhelming, ensure that you create a system in your workflow to download and install updates. Keeping your server environment updated is crucial in preventing cyber attacks on your Dedicated Server.
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Change the listening port
SSH protocol stands for Secure Shell protocol, and it’s a method of securing the connection between two computers linked via an unsecured connection. A listening port is basically a port through which an OS on a computer communicates with other devices.
In a Dedicated Server, the default listening port for SSH is set to port 22. A lot of hacking attempts are made through bots and given that port 22 is an industry-standard, bots are designed to directly attack this open port. The best way to deal with this is to assign the SSH listening port to a slot other than 22.
This is a simple task that will take a few minutes at most, and you’ll find that there are plenty of guides online.
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Create an access hierarchy
Root user access is powerful in Dedicated Servers. It gives you access to configure your server, install applications, change security settings, and much more. While this is great news for system admins and server experts, it’s important to ensure that everyone does not have root access.
It’s surprisingly easy to modify, move, edit, and delete important system files, and there’s a real chance that someone can cause damage accidentally. However, root access in Dedicated Servers also allows you to create user profiles and allocate any level of access that you want.
So, ensure that you take advantage of this feature and prevent accidental damage to your server environment.
Conclusion
Dedicated Servers offer unparalleled scope for customisation, flexibility, security, performance, and configuration. If you have a website that has a lot of traffic, Dedicated Servers can ensure that all your viewers and customers have a great experience on your website.
When choosing a Dedicated Server, it’s best to go with companies that have been at it for a long time. Sticking to the industry leaders will ensure that your experience with switching to a Dedicated Hosting solution is smooth. Dedicated Hosting services from HostGator will ensure that your website is fast, secure, and reliable.
HostGator is a leading Dedicated Server Hosting provider, which offers some of the best Linux Dedicated Server Hosting plans, Windows Dedicated Server Hosting plans and Managed Dedicated Servers.
For starters, all our Dedicated Servers come with DDoS protection as standard. Additionally, you get high-performance Solid State Drive storage with all our Dedicated Server Hosting plans. Redundancy is built into the network through multiple backups and recovery strategies.
Finally, to ensure great uptime, we employ multiple bandwidth providers like Comcast, ATT, AboveNet, etc. This ensures that your servers are not just reliable, but also fast and secure.
