While the software world has fought diligently to reduce the number of affective attack on the personal computer at home through anti-virus programs, hackers have turned their attentions to that which is most vital, but often not very well protected – the hosted website. A variety of tactics are being used by hackers against websites without regard to the size or industry of the business or organization. An American-based Internet security agency recently reported that Internet threats rose by two-thirds in April of 2009.

Many of these attacks are related to phishing -  the attempt to illegally acquire sensitive information from site visitors and internet goers. With login credentials and other information, hackers can mount attacks against an organization’s intranet, their website or their data with valid, stolen information. In some cases information can be solicited from the web hosting company itself, with a hacker posing as an employee of the company.

Also on the rise is a form of attack known as Denial or Service (DOS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. With a DDoS attack, unknowingly, users’ computers across the world can be under the control of a hacker. A hacker can cause hundreds to thousands of computers to hit servers that are hosting websites. This mass attack can cause servers to stop, crash or restart resulting in one to hundreds of websites going down. Most recently, there were 4 major attacks against web hosts. This strategy affected thousands of web hosting companies’ clients, taking thousands of websites and web applications offline. The affect of having your lead- or revenue-generating website offline for an extended period of time can be devastating.

Protection from human manipulation, DDoS attacks and other common Internet attacks can and should be handled at the hosting level by a secure hosting company. Human manipulation can be mitigated through change management protocol. Change management protocol requires a level of interaction to help prevent unauthorized access to hosting information from falling into the wrong hands. A secure, redundant network infrastructure, top-tier equipment and superior data centers will mitigate Denial of Service attacks from effectively bringing servers down.

Industry-leading, web host security means much more than just a firewall, more than just a system monitor that tells you when something goes wrong after the fact. Contact a FireHost agent now to see how FireHost‘s managed, proactive, secure hosting can protect you against a new rise in Internet attacks.

According to recent reports, hackers have systematically stolen thousands of files about the U.S. military’s new Joint Strike Fighter, our most advanced fighter in history. Specifically, hackers stole files concerning the design and electrical system of the new fighter, by infiltrating Pentagon and defense contractor computers.

Additionally, hackers were able to break into air traffic control systems operated by the U.S. Air Force. This gave them the opportunity to view the location of any U.S. military aircraft, in real time. While Department of Defense and Pentagon officials believe attacks such as these are the result of foreign states, rather than the work of individuals or small groups, such extraordinary attacks raise numerous questions about computer security in general.

“If hackers can infiltrate the Pentagon, what could they do to my small business?”

For malicious hackers, the potential of billions in profit from the theft of information from businesses of all sizes presents an extraordinary opportunity. Considering the relative ease of penetrating a small businesses credit card database, the limited risk of exposure to legal action, and a plentiful supply of easy targets, it’s becoming a matter of “when” not “if” your business will be attacked.

The time to protect your business is before an attack occurs, rather than afterwards. Attacks resulting in compromised data could mean disaster for your business. If your company does business online, you will need comprehensive security measures from a secure web hosting provider. Protection of your business online is a comprehensive strategy, much of which is executed at the hosting level. As a secure hosting provider, FireHost offers unparalleled protection for clients, including redundant network infrastructure, application protection, and virus protection to completely safeguard your website.

To learn more visit FireHost.com, and contact a FireHost Agent today.

Those five dollar hosting plans may be fine for smaller, personal websites, but you will not be satisfied for long if your livelihood depends on your website. Cheap web hosting companies typically put artificial constraints on space and resources. This may suffice if you only need enough space for a few static pages and bandwidth to cover a handful of visitors every month. However, for SMB’s that have bigger goals for their company, cheap hosting is not the answer.

Companies need more bandwidth to serve customers and more storage space for high-quality content. If your company hopes to market internationally, then there are benefits to establishing a content delivery network, so your international prospects visit a website optimized for an exceptional experience, no matter where they are located around the world.

You should also consider a host who provides secure e-commerce hosting and dynamic database security as an additional measure for insuring both you and your clients’ personal information is protected.

If online marketing efforts are successful, your website may experience the DIGG effect and become suddenly popular through the social networks. As your business succeeds online, your web host should provide burstable bandwidth on high performance servers in a redundant network infrastructure, so prospects and clients are never negatively impacted by website performance. Remember, your website is an extension of your business and your brand. An unsecured, poor performing website may have the same impact on a prospect as bad customer service over the phone.

FireHost caters to businesses of all sizes and special needs by providing enterprise-level hosting solutions such as Google Search Appliance, Exchange email services and Telligent Community Sever to help your business flourish.

Securing data is imperative and should never be left up to chance to save a little money. There is a measurable price on turning site visitors into customers, creating real value to fast and secure web hosting. Don’t roll the dice on a cheap, consumer-grade hosting plan, contact a FireHost professional today.