Hosting Web Hosting Security 2

Question 1

What is a 'file permission' in Linux web hosting and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

A numeric code (like 755 or 644) that defines who can read, write, or execute a file, controlling access to sensitive files

Answer

Linux file permissions (expressed as numbers like 755 or 644) control which users can read, write, or execute files, and incorrect permissions can expose sensitive files to unauthorized access.

Question 2

What is 'hotlinking' and why should hosting customers prevent it?

Accepted Answer

When external websites embed your images directly using your server's URL, consuming your bandwidth and resources

Answer

Hotlinking occurs when other websites directly link to images or files on your server, causing those external sites to consume your hosting bandwidth and potentially driving up costs.

Question 3

What is the purpose of an 'IP blacklist' in hosting security?

Accepted Answer

A list of known malicious IP addresses that are blocked from accessing your server

Answer

An IP blacklist in hosting security is a list of known malicious or suspicious IP addresses that the server or firewall automatically blocks from making requests.

Question 4

What does 'HTTP Strict Transport Security' (HSTS) do for a hosted website?

Accepted Answer

Instructs browsers to only connect to your site over HTTPS, preventing protocol downgrade attacks

Answer

HSTS is an HTTP header that tells browsers to always use HTTPS when connecting to your site, preventing man-in-the-middle attacks that try to downgrade connections to unencrypted HTTP.

Question 5

What is 'directory listing' in web hosting and why should it be disabled?

Accepted Answer

When a web server displays all files in a folder as a browsable list when no index file exists, potentially exposing sensitive files

Answer

Directory listing causes the web server to display all files in a folder as a clickable list when no index.html exists, which can expose sensitive files, backups, and configuration data.

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Hosting Web Hosting Security 2