Do you know about memory-scraping attacks? In short, hackers steal information from a server's memory (as opposed to its hard drive) such as a user's username and/or password or credit card information. The first time I read about this type of attack, I was amazed—and terrified! The thought of having a server broken into without leaving a trace on the server's hard drive is quite frightening.
It raises the question of how many hosting companies can effectively monitor these types of attacks without examine their customers' private data.
How Serious Is Memory-Scraping Attacks?
The real danger of these types of attacks is that most security tools cannot detect them. Because the data being stolen from memory only exists in RAM for a brief period of time. Security software such as firewalls and antivirus products look at files and network traffic, but they do not monitor volatile memory.It raises the question of how many hosting companies can effectively monitor these types of attacks without examine their customers' private data.
Protection of Your Data by Hosting Providers
Not all hosting providers are created equal in terms of protecting your data. Some key ways to protect your data through hosting providers include:- Monitoring for unusual activity on a real-time basis via memory checks, without the need for access to private information.
- Hardware Isolation — preventing hackers from accessing multiple customers’ memory by isolating their hardware.
- Frequent information security assessments — to identify vulnerabilities that may not be apparent until a perpetrator attempts to access them or has already accessed them.
