Hosting customers left to fend for themselves as attack levels rise

Despite the highly publicized attacks on websites worldwide, many web hosting customers remain unprotected against the newest forms of attacks as cyber crime tactics evolve, says Applicure, a leading web application firewall specialist which protects hosting companies and their customers from incoming web server attacks.

Hundreds of thousands of web site operators many with little or no technical expertise rely on web hosting providers to keep their websites and web applications safe. Yet events such as the recent SQL injection attack that compromised more than 70,000 websites, and the 10,000 web sites serving up malicious code in December, show hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications with impunity.

The combination of traditional firewall technology becoming mainstream and enterprise networks improving their defenses has driven hackers to find more vulnerable targets.

The traditional approach to application vulnerabilities is to scan programs and patch the weaknesses. ‘Naturally, hosting companies cannot be expected to scan and patch vulnerabilities in their customers’ applications,’ says Sherban. ‘The good news is that
security technology has advanced to the point where attack monitors and specialized web application firewalls can be deployed within minutes, and the additional security is provided to customers as a value added service.’