Web server security is supremely crucial to the network environment. They are present at the rim of the network and are supposed to exchange the information about the business with the external world. In this case, they do not consider any exception in business in terms of who they are sharing the information with. This way, the web server is the most attractive spot for the hackers to execute the attack. We have prepared this web server security guide to take you through the measures and steps to safeguard in the required manner.
Most of the multibillion organizations are working towards the hardening of the web server to keep the attackers away and prevent them successfully from stealing the valuable data of the organization. Web server hardening, if done properly will leave the attackers frustrated enough for a weak attack in general. A number of measures can be there for taken to strengthen the security and keep you guarded in the cyber world.
Let’s dive in and then quickly understand the same in a thorough manner:
Security threats to a Web Server: Among the most attacked part of the network of an organization, it is really important to secure the web servers as they contain most of the sensitive data of the organization. In this regard, it is important to keep the entire system up to date in this continuously evolving landscape of security.
Below, we have mentioned the essential threats to security which are really essential to keep a check on.
1. Commonly known as denial of service (DOS) and distributed denial of service attack (DDOS), in which large amount of traffic is transferred to the system of the victim and it stops functioning as a result. When the denial of service attack is executed from a number of locations through a number of systems, it is referred to as distributed denial of service (DDOS). It is seen that the DDOS attacks are faster in pace than DOS attack.
2. The very common SQL injection attack where the attackers affect the authentic code so as to get the control of the original database. It is competitively easy for the hackers to get the access by simply changing the URL and adding the malicious commands to it. It can have a number of negative impacts as it is seen that the SQL injection can lead to the complete server being affected and not just the attached database. It can pose severe consequences like the entire website can be defaced, sensitive customer information can be stolen and valuable company information can be altered. Mostly it is the financial which is stolen through these kinds of attacks and have a long-term impact on the brand reputation.
3. No amount of hard work put into the cyber security awareness of the organization can save it from the attacks if the vulnerabilities in the system are still present and the appropriate software is not applied to fix it. Once the program is released initially, the business organization should work continuously to fix or patch the software. It is the unpatched software in the organization that gives loopholes to the hackers to get into your system and destroy it. Regular updates must be checked and vulnerabilities must be fixed in a program or code to give the best of results.
4. When unrequited as well as harmful scripts are inserted into the trustworthy websites, it is known as cross site scripting. These are commonly known as XSS attacks. This malicious script can be inserted in between and the end-user will be totally unaware of the untrustworthiness of the script. The end-user will only assume that the script is from a trusted source and then it will steal all the information that is present in the system.
Server Security measures:
1. Get rid of the dispensable network services: A large number of network services are added to the default operating system and configurations that do not provide ample amount of security. These are the network services which are mostly not required and thereby must be removed within the timeframe. Less number of ports should be left open which accounts for fewer loopholes for the attackers to execute the attack and spoiling the system. This measure helps in amplifying the security by removing the services that are not required and reciprocating well with the performance of the server.
2. Importance of SSL security: Security aspect must be taken very seriously, and SSL certificates generally can be utilized to have a top-notch security game. These certificates follow https protocol instead of http and provide a secure web environment. If a business is running on different subdomains, then, we suggest wildcard SSL certificate. You can search for different providers for best deal like a cheap wildcard SSL is really popular in the market these days and mostly businesses are adopting it to protect websites. We recommend you conduct a thorough research before selecting one as per your requirement to get the best results.
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3. Isolated environment for other operations: Several operations are sometimes perform together including the development and testing features which become a major factor for the security related issues. Tools that are available online without any cost to use them must be implemented thoughtfully as they often carve ways for the security related vulnerabilities. In this manner, this Web Server Security Guide emphasizes on the development and testing service that must be kept away from the public Internet and accessed only through the secure connections.
4. Minimum privileges and permissions: It is extremely easy for the hackers to utilize the network service in whatever way they want to by compromise with the system easily. In this manner, it is important to provide only minimum privileges and permissions for the access of application files and databases to restrict the data loss or any form of alteration in it. It is a well-known fact that if you will provide minimum permission and privileges, it will automatically account for really less chances of system compromised and an overall manner.
5. Create back ups: It is important to create regular server back ups in order to ensure maximum security and defense. It will be highly recommended and cases of recovery and restoring the data and I have some free money in case of an attack. Regular back ups must be created both online and off-line to have a flawless system. Automatic backups can increase the overall efficiency of the function and require less human intervention as well.
6. Strong password policy: A well thought password policy is really handy in having a strong and secure web security system. Many platforms are used by the organizations at the same time and therefore they use the same password for all of them. In this regard, it is essential to use different passwords for which the password manager can be employed so as to keep a track of them. Passwords must be complicated and should not be really easy for the attackers to guess. It must be a combination of alpha numeric characteristics, special characters really strong to crack.
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