Safe to host certificate is an X.509 certificate that can be used to securely recognize servers and to establish encrypted communications between clients and services. To acquire a safe to host certificate, you must submit a formal request to the Certificate Authority (CA). It is worth mentioning here that a safe hosting certificate is of paramount importance to hosting companies.

These certificates build trust in the customers of the hosting companies. On the other hand, safe hosting certificates ensure that as a hosting company you are providing a secure connection with added layers of encryption. This post emphasizes the importance of safe hosting certificates for hosting companies and how they project the company as a credible one.

Why do hosting companies need to prove their security?

Data breaches among hosting companies are becoming more and more common. It is important to note here that when a data breach occurs in a hosting provider’s setup, more than thousands of customers can be affected. Let’s take the instance of the recent data breach on the popular web host, GoDaddy. GoDaddy has a phenomenal customer base of 19 million people from across the world. Recently, GoDaddy reported a data breach in its hosting setup which compromised more than 28,000 hosting accounts.

Later in a public appearance, the Vice President of GoDaddy said that the breach was not that severe and timely intervention stopped the threat from accessing customer’s credentials. But the damage was done.

As per Security analysts, the attack may have emanated due to the re-use of stolen credentials by GoDaddy. There are recent reports that GoDaddy’s support employees being the victims of phishing attacks.

This is the case with most hosting providers. In another incident, .. hosting provider was hacked and .. accounts were affected.

How ‘Safe to host certificate’ is necessary for security & credibility?

There is no doubt that a safe to host certificate signifies the credibility of the hosting provider. In other words, it acts as a seal of trust on which the customers can rely to buy hosting plans. On the other hand, apart from credibility, these certificates are usually granted after a deep security audit on the web application.

Well, hosting servers are the foothold of a website. So it becomes a nightmare for the administrator if the server gets infected. To be frank, open vulnerable ports have been one of the major concerns for a plethora of web servers getting affected.

With the help of a deep security test, these threats can be thwarted. Moreover, outdated server software can also be the main reason behind the frequent occurrence of data breaches. When server software is not properly updated, it makes them prone to hackers.

Furthermore, web hosting providers facilitating shared hosting plans are also at the receiving end of cyberattacks. It is because a malicious web host can introduce malware on the hosting server which can lead to security issues of the multiple websites at once.

Hence, the ideal way to get a ‘Safe to host’ certificate is by opting for a thorough security audit. Only after completing this audit, you would be able to get a safe to host certificate.

Safe to host certificate by Astra

Astra offers one of the most reliable security audits and safe to host certificates to businesses and hosting companies. VAPT by Astra includes – static and dynamic code analysis, network configuration test, business logic error testing, payment security testing, and 1200 other tests. The VAPT plan by Astra also comes with a collaborative security audit dashboard, where Astra security experts and developers of a company can communicate directly. Besides providing a detailed PDF report, Astra also provides a POC detailing the vulnerabilities in the system.

What’s more? Astra experts don’t just mention the recommendation steps, instead they assist your developers with fixes for each vulnerability.

This is how the visual representation of VAPT process by Astra looks like:

The VAPT services provided by Astra encompass all major security compliances like OWASP, CERT, PCI, etc.

Astra’s comprehensive VAPT services – Pricing & Features

VAPT services provided by Astra come in two separate plans – Advanced & Business. They are advance and business and both of them differ by the actual number of tests done and security consultation. Interestingly, you can also purchase VAPT as an add-on on top of any existing plan. As a leading VAPT service provider, all these plans help your web applications and servers to address latest security vulnerabilities.

From analyzing patch up vulnerabilities to examining static and dynamic codes on your servers, Astra ensures that your servers are impermeable to malware attacks.