Website Security
The issue of website security is an important one and worth learning a bit about. Hacking is an often misinterpreted phrase which many people use to describe illegally accessing and/or modifying restricted network content. This in fact is called Cracking.
Cracking is something every webmaster needs to be aware of, especially if you have a database on your site. If that database houses private information belonging to you or your clients, then the stakes are raised considerably. Things such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting and other such security risks are a very real threat to the integrity and security of your data. If this data falls into the wrong hands then the webmaster could be held liable for any adverse consequences which result from failing to protect that data, especially if it is sensitive information belonging to your clients which may include personally identifiable data such as bank details, credit history etc.
Many webmasters feel the risk is minimal. After all, who will target my site - I am a small player and not likely to experience a concerted attack on my web site. Think again. Scripts make use of things like ICMP to probe your site. These scripts are pervasive, indiscriminate and executing right now, scouring the net for sites with vulnerabilites with which to exploit. If they ping your site and get an interesting response, then the spammer/cracker might just decide to investigate further - are you prepared for their attention? Have you turned off your error reporting? Are you sure your directories are not being displayed when an error is encountered (and these errors which expose your directory structure are easy to create). In other words, if you are not actively learning about website security, then you are at risk of attack as you are unprepared to protect your site. Knowledge is power… read up on the subject of website security and make the small steps necessary to safeguard your site. It is not as difficult as it might sound and may save you from the potential nightmare scenario of having your database compromised.