In today’s technology-reliant world, anybody can be a victim of a cyberattack, and the next malware outbreak is just around the corner for most people.
The high number of cyberattacks, which are mostly aimed at individual businesses and organizations – and are triggered by a weak login, a lack of antivirus or firewall, or open ports – forces corporations to take action.
It’s been crucial to establish a robust security policy to secure confidential data and stop web server security breaches. Understanding the biggest threats and vulnerabilities that could jeopardize the security strategy’s credibility is the key to every successful cybersecurity strategy.
What is Secure Server?
A security server is a database server that ensures that online transactions are secure. To shield data from unauthorized access, secure servers use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol for data encryption and decryption. Internet stores and any company with a Web presence use secure servers.
How does a Security Server Help an Organization?
Due to the vulnerability of results, servers offer a range of internal and external customer applications in organizations that are increasingly vulnerable to security threats. Organizations and companies use secure servers to perform secure and private network transfers.
Until recently, e-commerce opportunities were often missed due to questions about online consumer protection. The rise of online retailing, on the other hand, has increased the need for protection and counter-measures to deter malicious attacks (like phishing and hacking).
Possible Types of Attacks
1. Denial-of-service (DoS) and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks
A denial-of-service attack allows a system’s resources to become overburdened, stopping it from responding to service requests. A DDoS attack is similar to a DoS attack in that it is initiated from a vast number of other host machines infected with malicious software operated by the attacker.
TCP SYN flood attack, teardrop attack, smurf attack, ping-of-death attack, and botnets are the most common examples of DoS and DDoS attacks.
2. Spear phishing and phishing attacks
Phishing is the method of delivering emails that claim to be from trustworthy outlets in order to collect sensitive information or force users to take action. It is a combination of social psychology and technological deceit.
It may be a malicious attachment to an email that infects your phone. It may also be a path to a malicious website intended to trick you into installing malware or exposing personal information. Spear phishing is a particular form of a phishing attack. Attackers spend hours researching their goals and crafting messages that seem both personal and important.
As a result, spear phishing can be difficult to detect and much more difficult to protect against. Email spoofing is one of the easiest methods for a hacker to carry out a spear-phishing operation.
3. Injection of SQL data
With database-driven websites, SQL injection has become a widespread concern. It happens when a malefactor uses the input data from the client to the server to run a SQL query on the database. To run predefined SQL commands, SQL commands are inserted into data-plane input (for example, instead of the login or password).
An effective SQL injection exploit can read sensitive data from a database, alter database data (insert, edit, or delete), perform database management operations (such as shutdown), retrieve the contents of a given file, and, in some situations, issue commands to the operating system.
These are some of the attack types through which the server can be compromised. Pertaining to these, we will discuss the measures we can take to secure a server.
What are the Measures We Can Take to Secure the Server of an Organization?
1. Build and Maintain a Secure Interface
It is important to create a stable contact channel when connecting to a remote server. The easiest way to build a secure link is to use the SSH (Secure Shell) Protocol. SSH entry, unlike the formerly used Telnet, encrypts all data sent during the exchange.
2. Security with SSH Keys
You can authenticate an SSH server with a pair of SSH keys instead of a password, which is a safer alternative to conventional logins. Most modern machines cannot break the keys since they have several more bits than a password. A 617-digit password is equal to the common RSA 2048-bit encryption. A public key and a private key make up the key pair.
3. Secure File Transfer Protocol
It is important to use the File Transfer Protocol to transfer files to and from a server without the possibility of hackers compromising or stealing data (FTPS). It encrypts data files as well as the authentication data. FTPS has 2 channels: a command channel and a data channel, each of which can be encrypted by the user.
It’s important to remember that it just covers files when they’re being transferred. The data is no longer encrypted until it reaches the computer. As a consequence, encrypting files before submitting them provides an additional layer of security.
4. Secure Sockets Layer Certificates
Secure the web management areas and types with Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which encrypts data sent across the internet between 2 devices. SSL can be used for both client-server and server-server communication.
The software scrambles data to prevent private data (such as addresses, IDs, credit card numbers, and other personal information) from being compromised while being transmitted. HTTPS in the URL indicates that a website has an SSL certificate, meaning that it is secure. The certificate not only encrypts data but also acts as a form of user authentication.
As a result, maintaining licenses for the servers aids in the establishment of user authority. Administrators may set up servers to deal with the unified authority and all other certificates it signs.
5. Use Proprietary Networks and VPNs
Using private and virtual private networks (VPNs), as well as applications like OpenVPN, is another way to ensure secure connectivity. Unlike open networks, which are open to the public and therefore vulnerable to attacks by unauthorized users, proprietary and virtual private networks limit access to only a limited number of users.
Private networks create isolated contact channels between servers within the same range using a private IP address. This helps several servers under the same username to share data and information without revealing themselves to the public internet.
6. Using Intrusion Detection Devices (IDS)
Using an intrusion detection system (IDS), such as Sophos, to track processes operating on your computer and identify any suspicious activities is another way to secure a server. You may make it review day-to-day procedures, run automatic scans on a daily basis, or run the IDS manually.
7. Make a Backup of your Server
Although the foregoing steps are meant to safeguard your server’s files, it is important to provide a device backup in case anything goes wrong.
Offsite copies of sensitive data should be kept encrypted, or a cloud solution should be used. Make a habit of this precautionary step, whether you use automatic backup jobs or perform them manually.
8. Purchase a High-Quality Firewall
A firewall is a control mechanism that controls incoming and outgoing traffic and protects a private network device from any unauthorized entry. It will examine any data that comes into the server to determine if something is potentially dangerous.
A firewall will also provide protection against Trojan horses and hackers. Downloading a free firewall is a bad idea because hackers will quickly get around it. Rather, invest in a reputable, high-quality application that will guarantee your server’s security.
Conclusion
In brief, we can say that there are many ways through which our servers can be compromised, we have to take precautionary measures to secure our server and keep our data safe from potential vulnerabilities.
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