Top 7 Web Hosting Security issues in 2025

[johny899]

This year, web hosting was not smooth sailing. It was a little frightening, actually. A huge number of sites were hacked into, and some large corporations failed and injured their users.

I've been hosting sites for years, and even I was shocked at how many issues arose in just a few months. Let me take you through the 7 top web hosting security issues of 2025.

1. Bluehost's DNS Issue – Visitors Were Redirected to Phony Sites​

In March, Bluehost websites began to redirect individuals to spoofed pages. Hackers had changed the DNS configurations (these determine where your website points).

What happened?

•Admin dashboard was hacked into.
•Two-step security (such as an OTP) was not in place.

Lesson? Use two-step verification for your domain settings at all times.

2. HostGator Private Logs Were Leaked – Passwords Revealed​

HostGator did something wrong. Open log files were posted on the internet, and anyone could view them. They had private information such as emails and passwords included.

What went wrong?

• Incorrect server settings.
• Regular checks were not performed.

What to do? Make logs private. Never keep passwords in plaintext.

3. SiteGround Got Hit by a DDoS Attack – Websites Went Down​

SiteGround was attacked with a massive DDoS attack. This is when spammers flood a site with unwanted traffic to bring it down. A couple of sites were down for 3 days.

What went wrong?

• Their design was not able to handle the attack.
• There was no fallback defense.

Tip: Implement a good CDN or backup design to handle such attacks.

4. GoDaddy Got Hacked Again – Users Were Redirected​

GoDaddy too experienced a glitch. Hackers injected malicious code on customer websites that redirected visitors to malware websites.

What went wrong?

•Bugs in legacy admin tools.
•Customer data not properly isolated.

Reminder: Legacy systems must be updated. And customers shouldn't interfere with each other.

5. DreamHost Backup Leak – Hackers Stole Everything​

Hackers broke into DreamHost's backup mechanism. They stole copies of full sites, email, and databases.

What went wrong?

• Backups weren't locked with encryption.
• Hackers in from a spoofed link in an email.

Tip: Encrypt backups. And don't follow suspicious emails.

6. DigitalOcean Token Leak – Secret Keys Went Public​

A inadvertent web publication of API tokens (secret keys) was executed by a script. They would have provided hackers with customer accounts.

What went wrong?

• Debug logs made available to the internet.
• No token reset process was implemented.

What to do? Do not store sensitive information. Always have a key reset policy in place.

7. A2 Hosting Employee Misused Access – Trust Was Lost​

A2 Hosting employee abused their access to manipulate customer sites and insert spam.

What went wrong?

• Below the required level of access granted to an individual.
• No warning for suspicious behavior.

Recommendation: Monitor employee activity and implement strict permissions.

 

[Kane]

Thank God, I was not with any of these companies. I have been using namecheap for more than 10 years and never experienced any security issues except once when my forum was DDoS attacked. Thankfully, namecheap support helped to get the website back.