ModSecurity is a powerful web application layer firewall for Apache web servers. It monitors the whole HTTP traffic to a site without affecting its performance and in case it discovers an intrusion attempt, it prevents it. The firewall furthermore maintains a more comprehensive log for the traffic than any web server does, so you will be able to monitor what is going on with your websites much better than if you rely simply on standard logs. ModSecurity employs security rules based on which it prevents attacks. For instance, it identifies whether someone is trying to log in to the administration area of a specific script a number of times or if a request is sent to execute a file with a certain command. In these situations these attempts trigger the corresponding rules and the firewall software blocks the attempts immediately, and then records comprehensive details about them in its logs. ModSecurity is amongst the most effective software firewalls on the market and it could easily protect your web apps against a large number of threats and vulnerabilities, particularly if you don’t update them or their plugins often.

ModSecurity in Shared Web Hosting

ModSecurity comes by default with all shared web hosting plans which we provide and it shall be switched on automatically for any domain or subdomain which you add/create within your Hepsia hosting Control Panel. The firewall has three different modes, so you can activate and deactivate it with a click or set it to detection mode, so it'll keep a log of all attacks, but it will not do anything to stop them. The log for each of your Internet sites shall include in-depth info which includes the nature of the attack, where it originated from, what action was taken by ModSecurity, and so forth. The firewall rules that we use are regularly updated and include both commercial ones that we get from a third-party security firm and custom ones that our system admins include in the event that they detect a new type of attacks. This way, the sites which you host here will be a lot more protected with no action required on your end.

ModSecurity in Semi-dedicated Servers

Any web app you install in your new semi-dedicated server account will be protected by ModSecurity because the firewall is provided with all our hosting solutions and is switched on by default for any domain and subdomain that you add or create through your Hepsia hosting CP. You will be able to manage ModSecurity via a dedicated section inside Hepsia where not simply can you activate or deactivate it entirely, but you can also enable a passive mode, so the firewall shall not stop anything, but it shall still maintain a record of potential attacks. This requires just a mouse click and you shall be able to look at the logs no matter if ModSecurity is in active or passive mode through the same section - what the attack was and where it originated from, how it was dealt with, etc. The firewall employs 2 sets of rules on our web servers - a commercial one which we get from a third-party web security company and a custom one that our admins update manually as to respond to newly discovered threats as fast as possible.

ModSecurity in Dedicated Servers

If you decide to host your websites on a dedicated server with the Hepsia Control Panel, your web apps shall be secured right away since ModSecurity is provided with all Hepsia-based plans. You'll be able to regulate the firewall with ease and if needed, you'll be able to turn it off or enable its passive mode when it shall only keep a log of what is happening without taking any action to stop potential attacks. The logs which you'll find in the same section of the CP are quite detailed and contain data about the attacker IP, what site and file were attacked and in what way, what rule the firewall employed to prevent the intrusion, etcetera. This data will permit you to take measures and enhance the security of your websites even more. To be on the safe side, we employ not just commercial rules, but also custom-made ones which our staff add when they recognize attacks that have not yet been included within the commercial pack.