With your website hosting account you have many tools using which you cam mange your website easily just using few clicks. Your hosting provider will offer you control panel using which you can play with your server/hosting account. Also if you have good knowledge of hosting then you also have a file called .htaccess using which you can easily set different setting for your website. Its very important file which should be used in extreme cases and should be used if required. Make sure not all web host offer direct access to this file hence you should check with your web host about its accessibility.

Inside your web hosting space, the .htaccess file usually sits inside your root directory, such as “/public_html/” and has more than a few good uses. You might already have a .htaccess file in your root directory. If so, all you need to do is edit that one. Just remember that if it is in your root directory, that it will affect all folders and documents inside that directory. If you want to over ride that, then you will have to make a new .htaccess file inside the directory in question.

For an example, if you want what is in the .htaccess file to affect everything but your “photos” folder then you would have to create a new .htaccess file inside your “photos” folder.

How can you create one? Well, depending on the FTP program you are using it should be as easy as creating a new document, then renaming it .htaccess. Note that it has nothing coming before the dot. If you have anything in front of the dot, then it will not be read by the web hosting server as a .htaccess file. The server will not know what to do with it.

If you want to create the file on your computer first, you should be able to right-click your desktop and select “New” then “Text Document”. Then right-click that document on your desktop and go to “Rename”. Type in the new name as “.htaccess”. Some programs might put the .txt extension on it automatically. All you have to do is go in to rename it again, and take that part off.

Another thing to remember is if you are creating the file on your own computer or uploading it from your own computer, make sure you are uploading it in ASCII mode, not binary. Most FTP programs do a pretty good job at auto-detecting how it should be uploaded, but if you run into a problem that is the first place I would check.

Also, .htaccess files can only be created on a Linux based server running Apache. If you are not sure if you fall into that category login to your control panel your Web host provided you and snoop around in there. If you are still not sure, feel free to ask your Web host. That is what they are there for! You may need to CHMOD the htaccess file to 644 so the sever can execute the commands inside it.

Now you know how to create an empty .htaccess file. Now it is time to start filling it up with some easy to learn and useful commands. Think of each line you put into the .htaccess file as a command for the web hosting server to do something. Here is an example of what I mean. Think of this as the content of your .htaccess file:

• Take out the trash
• Clean the sink
• Mow the yard
• Rake the leaves

Each are short commands you might do during your own day. A .htaccess file is much like giving the web hosting server a to do list. Most commands in the .htaccess file are suppose to be on one line only. This is just the way that the server reads the information.

Another warning you might take in consideration is the ability to use the .htaccess file at all. Some Web hosts have banned it or banned it for certain uses because it causes stress and strain on the web hosting server itself. Make sure you read through your Web host’s frequently asked questions and acceptable use policy before moving forward. If they have something against it, then it should be in one of those two places.

Posted under Webhosting

How to Prevent Your Website from Hackers?

Nowadays, it’s really important to keep your website up-to-date, as everyday countless hackers are targeting websites to steal important information from websites and servers. This is a very serious concern, and now I am sharing few guidelines to secure your websites and web servers from being hacked.

Old scripts

Please remember that old installations are an open invitation for hackers. So, if you have installed Joomla or WordPress that you tried out a couple of months ago; please remove it. You should make sure that any script you install on your servers is of the latest version. It takes 5 seconds to hack an old version of Joomla, upload a shell script and have total control over your account.

Passwords

Never use easy to guess passwords or the same password more than once; if someone finds a password of yours they will try it everywhere else until they reach success. If someone finds your webmail password you’re pretty much guaranteed they’ll try it elsewhere – maybe in cPanel, maybe on your online banking!

Cloak Your Folders

You should keep a blank index.html in all of the folders inside your public_html; this will make sure the contents can’t be easily viewed on the internet. CPanel has this function, check out ‘Index Manager’. It’s always a good idea to keep your files and folders secret.

Password Protect Your Admin Folder

You should password protect the admin folder of any scripts you are using, this provides an extra layer of security and is highly recommended. You can do this in cPanel by clicking the Directory Protection link.

So You Got Hacked?

If you got clicked that something has happened, maybe some spam was sent from your account, or you found you were hosting a phishing site, the first step you need to take is changing your passwords. All of them – cPanel, email, site admin passwords, everything.

Next up, go through your web space and remove all old script installations, remember if you installed plugins in your scripts (modules for Joomla/WordPress etc) they can be hacked too! Make sure they’re up-to-date too.

You can check the Error Logs in cPanel for suspicious requests. Generally, a hacker leaves suspicious files around, so look for such files within your public_html folder. Once the files are found, take the details of those files, such as date and time that the file was uploaded, the file name, folder it was in, and inform your web host so they can check through. Then delete the files.

Being hacked can happen to anyone at all, your security will always depend on its weakest point. If you don’t keep things up-to-date and secure, your site will be hacked and be used for criminal activity in one way or another – however, now is the perfect time to stop this from happening.

Posted under Webhosting