Tips on Website Security - use SSH

Planning and having your very own website is like preparing for an exciting adventure. For sure, you’ll scourge the web on how and where to start, tools to use, things to do / put on the website, and spread the word (or in this case the website’s address) so that it will be visited by other online users.

Making a website is relatively easy. Even a person with little technological know how can do it (A previous post has already discussed tips and useful information on creating a website – the link is provided below this post for the reader’s convenience).

Unfortunately, the website basics (choosing a content management tool, theme to use, placement of widgets, etc…) are seemingly the easy part. As you progress further with the site’s design, development, and security, things may gradually get difficult. As the title imply, this post will concentrate on a website’s security (SSH in particular).

When data confidentiality and security is involved, SSH (short for secure shell) is the way to go. SSH is a trusted internet defense tool against hackers, eavesdroppers, or anyone trying to fish information. Most website administrators or owners uses SSH as it is reliable and compatible with major operating systems like Unix, Windows, and Macintosh. By installing SSH on a remote computer, website owners and administrators can securely log in to their account or access the data servers through an encrypted connection. Anyone outside this encrypted connection would only get unreadable data in garbage format.

When users sign in using SSH, it may appear simple by just providing the username and password on the front end. However, at the back end, SSH uses heavy authentication process to determine if the account is an authorized account. Once the account is established to be authorized, the computer using SSH can now communicate with the main servers through a secure connection. It is extremely difficulty for anyone trying to listen, eavesdrop, or breach this connection. Those who will try will only acquire unusable data as the format is unreadable (or in techy world “garbage data”). However, if there are numerous unauthorized users that insists on infiltrating the secure connection, SSH will simply disconnect.

SSH is ideal for website owners and admins who forgot to bring or who does not have a laptop, tablet, or smart mobile device. They can simply use a public computer and install SSH to remotely access their account or any other important information. For the benefit of those who are not aware, some public computers are a haven for hackers, phisers, etc… It would be important to assume that the public computer you’re going to use is unsecured and may compromise any information that you will share and gather.

Some readers may wonder (especially those who have non-business or personal websites) if they should concern themselves with security. Needless to say, security should be everyone’s concern as integrity, identity, and credibility is at stake. Some create websites just for fun or for the sake of having one. But for those who are serious about their website, security is a serious matter. The internet in general is not secure. Some online users, especially those who are capable, would surely grab other’s data and information if given the chance. They may sell the data, distribute it, or simply shrug it off, but one thing is certain – it is disadvantageous to the one whose data has been stolen.

Online fraudsters, hackers, eavesdroppers (among other things) are rampant on the internet. Arming yourself with some information about security would certainly help. However, if you feel that your site has already been compromised, or to save time and effort in understanding the nitty gritty details of internet security, remember that oakwoodsystems is here to assist you. Simply contact us or drop us at an email and we’ll surely get back to you.