Hosting Web Hosting Security 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is an SSL/TLS certificate and why is it essential for US hosting customers?
- A marketing certificate proving website quality
- A cryptographic certificate that encrypts data between visitor browsers and the server, required for HTTPS and trusted by Google (Correct answer)
- A backup service certificate
- A domain ownership registration document
Correct answer: A cryptographic certificate that encrypts data between visitor browsers and the server, required for HTTPS and trusted by Google
An SSL/TLS certificate enables HTTPS by encrypting data transmitted between a visitor's browser and the web server, protecting sensitive data and required by Google as a ranking signal.
Question 2: What does 'Let's Encrypt' provide to web hosting customers?
- Paid premium SSL certificates
- Free automated SSL/TLS certificates trusted by all major browsers (Correct answer)
- Domain registration services
- Website security scanning tools
Correct answer: Free automated SSL/TLS certificates trusted by all major browsers
Let's Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority that provides trusted SSL/TLS certificates at no cost, making HTTPS accessible to all website owners.
Question 3: What is a 'brute force attack' in the context of web hosting security?
- A physical break-in at a data center
- Automated attempts to guess passwords or encryption keys by systematically trying many combinations (Correct answer)
- A denial of service flood attack
- SQL injection through a web form
Correct answer: Automated attempts to guess passwords or encryption keys by systematically trying many combinations
A brute force attack uses automated tools to systematically try large numbers of password or key combinations until the correct one is found, targeting SSH, FTP, and admin panels.
Question 4: What does a WAF (Web Application Firewall) protect against in hosting?
- Hardware failures
- Application-layer attacks such as SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF targeting web applications (Correct answer)
- Network-level DDoS attacks only
- Malware in uploaded files only
Correct answer: Application-layer attacks such as SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF targeting web applications
A WAF (Web Application Firewall) inspects HTTP/HTTPS traffic and blocks application-layer attacks including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other OWASP Top 10 threats.
Question 5: What is 'two-factor authentication' (2FA) and why should hosting customers use it?
- Using two different passwords for the same account
- A security method requiring a second verification step (like a one-time code) in addition to a password to access hosting accounts (Correct answer)
- Hosting two websites on one account
- Using two separate hosting companies simultaneously
Correct answer: A security method requiring a second verification step (like a one-time code) in addition to a password to access hosting accounts
2FA requires users to verify identity with a second factor (such as a time-based one-time code from an app) in addition to their password, dramatically reducing account takeover risk.
Question 6: What is 'malware scanning' in web hosting security services?
- Scanning your local computer for viruses
- Automated scanning of hosted website files for malicious code, backdoors, or injected scripts (Correct answer)
- A firewall feature for network traffic
- Scanning outgoing emails for spam
Correct answer: Automated scanning of hosted website files for malicious code, backdoors, or injected scripts
Malware scanning in hosting automatically checks website files for malicious code, backdoors, and injected scripts, alerting owners and allowing cleanup before harm is done.
Hosting Web Hosting Security 1
What is an SSL/TLS certificate and why is it essential for US hosting customers?