Dark Web Threats to Hosting Companies: Major Risks and How to Stay Secure

[johny899]

Have you ever thought about what happens on the hidden parts of the Internet, also called the dark web? On the dark web, hackers trade and cash in on stolen information just like you would at any other online store.

When I first worked with hosting servers, I never realized how dangerous the dark web is. Hosting companies are in a prime position to be attacked and thus the potential threat from hackers continues to grow every day.

Why Hackers Target Hosting Companies​

Companies that host websites store large amounts of sensitive data that can be accessed by hackers including their customer's personal information, payment details and website files. Because of this, hosting companies are one of the most desired targets of hackers.

If you are a hacker and have access to thousands of websites (as in the case of a hacked hosting server), what would you do? The answer is obvious - you could cause extensive destruction to those sites and the businesses associated with them.

Hackers use the following information to look for host servers they want to attack:

• Host servers that are old and/or weak
• Host servers that contain outdated or insecure software
• Host servers that do not have proper firewall settings
• Host servers that have had administrator passwords leaked

If companies do not take proper precautions to protect their host servers, hackers will strike very quickly.

Purchasing Stolen Information from the Dark Web​

A friend of mine recently had his web hosting account compromised by a hack. The hacker accessed it and hacked into hundreds of customers' accounts and sold each customer's password for just a few dollars, it was astonishing to me to learn this happens on the dark net. Stolen information is sold almost as though it's more like fast food than anything else, cheap and quick!

There are two types of cybercriminals involved in this marketplace; those that purchase and those that sell.

Cybercriminals sell:

• Credit card information
• Access to various servers
• Databases of websites
• All of the control panels associated with web hosting.

Cybercriminals who are purchasing these items will typically use them for larger future attacks, such as blackmail and ransomware, or to take complete control of a website.

Would You Know If a Website Went Offline?​

DDoS attacks occur frequently against many web hosting operators as hackers use DDoS attacks to flood a web server with thousands of fake users until the server becomes completely unusable. Then, they will typically demand you pay a ransom in cryptocurrency or they will keep DDoS attacking your server until the server goes offline.

The ramifications of these attacks include:​

• Loss of clients/loss of business
• Damage to the company’s reputation
• Hours of services being down
• Loss of customer confidence
• Customer confidence is the most difficult thing to regain.

So how do hosting companies protect themselves from these threats?

• Strong firewalls
• DDoS protection
• Regular security patches/APTs
• Encrypted backups
• Dark web monitoring services

The final point is a great idea. Some hosting companies scour the dark web for stolen personal data at an early stage to protect their clients — Thats smart thinking!!

I often advise people to always place their focus on security because the moment your company's data appears on the dark web, it is out of your reach, and any repair after that point will seem impossible.

Bottom Line​

Dark web threats to hosting companies are legitimate, dangerous, and growing rapidly. If a hosting company does not focus its efforts on securing itself, it will expose its business to great risk.