One of the best approaches to network security is to restrict access as much as possible. Provide only the minimum network access required to promote cash flow. Anything that does not promote cash flow shuld be locked down, and additionally monitored for illegal access.

Access points are like doorways into your network environment. Fewer doors left open means less traffic to filter. Any traffic to restricted doorways is simply unwanted and can be rejected. Traffic through open doorways is therefore easier to filter, but cannot go without diligent surveillance.

In a virtual world in which the majority of hacking attacks are received through open doorways, your Network Security Administration is more important than ever. How secure is your PHP eCommerce website and the web server it's hosted on? Is your MySQL Database Security sufficient?

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Preventing unwanted hacking attacks is usually a good thing. Since the vast majority of exploited websites are hacked as a result of security vulnerabilities written into the web programming by poor programmers, the expectation is that hackers will attack your open website doorways first. A simple and seemingly innocuous newsletter signup or contact form in your eCommerce Web Site may be the undoing of your entire Online Business. If unprotected, hackers will Inject SQL to attack your database, Inject Code to attack your web server oor file system, and cause some real damage.

Avoiding and repairing these Security Vulnerabilities requires Filtering User Data. Data Cleansing and Data Validation forge the armor to safely exchange information with users, clients, and even hackers. Web Site Security is about significant defense plus offense, not hiding and hoping for the best.

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Network Security methods vary and may be combined. The most common form of protecting information in-transit is Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption of some flavor. SSL Encryption is one of a handful of methods for Obfuscating information. Obfuscation is a general security term meaning to render information uninitelligible in order to hide its true meaning. SSL encryption is a valid security method for information passed across a network. However, caveats do exist!

What most Online Business owners and most programmers do not know, is that SSL Encryption can help hackers attack your eCommerce web site! SSL Encryption does prevent hackers from capturing and using your transmitted data. For the same reason, SSL Encryption can prevent Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) from seeing hacking attacks. If IDS is placed "before" SSL Decryption, the network remains less secure and gives you a false sense of security.

There are no rules or regulations that prevent you from simply hiding data from hackers. Online Businesses need not rely purely on Security Admins and their technical measures for Network Security. The Internet is a battlefield replete with hackers and malevolent users waging war against Online Businesses, which are protected by a dilute army of Ethical Hackers and Securitty Consultants. When we say, "All is fair in love and war," it is true in the Online war against hackers.

Hackers do not care about your feelings or the impact of their attacks. Security measures on your network are simply goals for hackers to bypass, like medals of honor in their battle. If you aproach Network Security with any respect for hackers, you will lose. When rules are not an issue, you may use all measures to protect yourself! Use every tool and method available to improve your Security status, including simply hiding your data from hackers.