Creating a Website: Security & Server Setup

[bhaazee]

Hallo Friends,
I am actually a mechanical Engineer and have least knowledge on Computer Science.

My doubt is, say I wish to create a website for my local town to interact with people of that town for discussing various issues. Do I need a server to store the information that are being generated due to interactive activities.

How can I define the security level of the website with regard to hacking?

Regards
Bharath Duraiswamy.

 

[Borek]

You don't need your own server, there are hosting services (both free and paid) that will rent server space for you.

This question is not asked for the first time - see https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=292464 for example. There were more threads, I just can't find them now.

Try to google for "free web hosting" you will get more information than you need.

 

[fss]

How can I define the security level of the website with regard to hacking?

Use a strong password to protect root access to your server or rented server space.

 

[bhaazee]

Thank you Guys for ur replies.

However, I can't understand with reply from "fss"

We are living in the world of anonymous. HB Gary is carrying out security Services for US Army and their root servers got hacked. Also his twitter account. Do you think just because the password for the root servers was not strong enough it got hacked?

 

[fss]

However, I can't understand with reply from "fss"

We are living in the world of anonymous. HB Gary is carrying out security Services for US Army and their root servers got hacked. Also his twitter account. Do you think just because the password for the root servers was not strong enough it got hacked?

HBGary was hacked due to a combination of using poorly-written, third-party software and social engineering. Assuming you are using widely available, well-written software on your server, have a strong password, and are wary of social engineering attempts to gain unauthorized access, you will not have any problems you could prevent otherwise.

 

[bhaazee]

Oh! Thank you fss.

 

[bhaazee]

BTW! I have one more doubt regarding the security issue.
Consider that there are two websites A and B.
Now in order to get some activity of 'B' processed, a request from 'A' has to be sent.

Now assume a request is being sent from 'A' to 'B'. Is there a possibility that I as a third party can look into the contents of "request" and redefine the contents such that the request gets changed from the intended one?

Thnx.

 

[fss]

BTW! I have one more doubt regarding the security issue.
Consider that there are two websites A and B.
Now in order to get some activity of 'B' processed, a request from 'A' has to be sent.

Now assume a request is being sent from 'A' to 'B'. Is there a possibility that I as a third party can look into the contents of "request" and redefine the contents such that the request gets changed from the intended one?

Yes, but that possibility exists if you have more than one intermediate device between points A and B anyways. What you are describing is a classic man-in-the-middle attack.

 

[bhaazee]

THnax once again.