Badware Bad News

You know that I feel data center responsibility is very important, my past blog posts reflect that. I may be most familiar with the world of cPanel servers, but overall the ideals of security are the same for all data centers. No matter the types of servers we're hosting, we have to guide our customers in keeping their systems clean and up to date. In order to gauge our collective success I am always seeking articles that discuss if hosts are doing a good job administrating their customers. The latest press release from StopBadware.org has really turned up the heat in this topic. They released the findings of a data study which collected information on the hosts of spyware and malware distributors. The most disturbing fact revealed was that nearly 11,000 sites at iPower were reported to host some form of badware. This does not mean that all of the sites still exist on their network, but it's an alarming number to collect in the first place. EIG will have a lot of work to do, if they choose?

"Web hackers and badware distributors are constantly finding new ways to work around the safeguards that are put in place to protect consumers," Palfrey said in a press release. "Web hosting providers must do their part to stay ahead of the curve and help keep the Web sites they host safe from malicious attacks."

To our credit, it truly is a hard job to stay ahead of that all important curve. This is especially so when it comes to dedicated server clients. They can configure their servers however they would like and their choices aren't always the best ones. Then we guide them, one by one, when issues come up on their servers from port scans to spamming. Then with each report of malicious activity that we receive from third parties, we have to ask ourselves is this happening on any other server with this configuration? If so, plans must be made to counteract the issue to prevent it from happening again.

I think companies are also capable of attracting a certain type of client. If you make your stance on security clear and upfront, you will attract clients that also hold your same values. If you don't have a section of your website devoted to security, it really is time to create one in order to help every type of customer you have (from experienced to not so). Education is the only way we will combat these problems. Hosts have placed focus on topics that have been easier to talk about, from increased storage space to free applications included with plans. Now it is just as important to mention your security plans right along side the marketing speak. And just as Lou Honick so expertly stated in his latest post,

"Make no mistake, customers expect 100% uptime, all of the disk space and bandwidth included with their plans, and enough processing power to do whatever they need with their website. Whether we like it or not, whether it is fair or reasonable, that IS the expectation. And it will continue to be the expectation until we tell customers otherwise, emphatically and clearly."

There is no doubt about it: until we make security as important of a "feature" as everything else we offer, it will not be serious to our customers. We have to make our mission very clear to our client base or we will not progress. In the meantime, what happens now with the companies listed in StopBadware's report? Are they going to begin a mass cleanup or will the sites remain? We are responsible for large "pieces" of the Internet and the actions we take now can make the Internet a better and safer place for the future.

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