Understanding Our Security Checks

SSL/TLS Configuration

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its successor TLS (Transport Layer Security) are cryptographic protocols designed to provide secure communication over a computer network. These protocols are crucial for maintaining the privacy and integrity of data exchanged between a user's browser and your website.

A proper SSL/TLS configuration ensures that all data transmitted is encrypted, making it extremely difficult for malicious actors to intercept or tamper with the information. This is especially important for websites that handle sensitive data such as login credentials, personal information, or financial details.

• Valid SSL: Indicates your site has a properly configured SSL certificate, issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA).
• SSL Expiration: Shows when your SSL certificate will expire. It's crucial to renew before this date to avoid security warnings and maintain user trust.
• TLS Version: Indicates which version of TLS your server supports. TLS 1.2 or higher is recommended for optimal security.
• Cipher: The encryption algorithm used. Strong ciphers provide better security by making the encrypted data more resistant to brute-force attacks.

Learn more: What is SSL?

HTTP Security Headers

HTTP security headers are a powerful defense mechanism that help protect your website from various types of attacks. These headers are directives sent by your web server to a user's browser, instructing it how to handle your web pages and associated resources.

Properly configured security headers can significantly enhance your website's security posture by mitigating common web vulnerabilities and enforcing best security practices in the user's browser.

• Content Security Policy (CSP): A robust security measure that helps prevent a wide range of attacks, including Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and other code injection attacks. It allows you to specify which content sources the browser should consider valid.
• X-Frame-Options: This header protects your website against clickjacking attacks by controlling whether your page can be embedded within an iframe on other sites.
• HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS): Enforces secure (HTTPS) connections to the server. This helps protect against protocol downgrade attacks and cookie hijacking.
• X-XSS-Protection: Enables the browser's built-in cross-site scripting (XSS) filter, adding an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks.
• X-Content-Type-Options: Prevents MIME type sniffing, which can be used to execute disguised malicious file uploads.
• Referrer-Policy: Controls how much referrer information should be included with requests, helping to protect user privacy.
• Permissions-Policy: Allows you to control which features and APIs can be used in the browser, helping to create a more secure and privacy-respecting environment.

Learn more: HTTP Headers

Cookie Security

Cookies are small pieces of data stored on the user's device by websites. They are essential for maintaining user sessions, remembering user preferences, and enabling various web functionalities. However, if not properly secured, cookies can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to user accounts or sensitive information.

Secure cookies help protect sensitive information and prevent unauthorized access to user sessions by implementing additional security measures. These measures make it significantly harder for attackers to intercept or manipulate cookie data.

• Secure flag: When set, this flag ensures the cookie is only transmitted over secure HTTPS connections. This prevents the cookie from being intercepted over unencrypted channels.
• HttpOnly flag: This flag prevents client-side scripts (like JavaScript) from accessing the cookie. This is a crucial defense against cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, as it prevents malicious scripts from reading sensitive cookie data.

Learn more: Secure Cookie Attribute

Mixed Content

Mixed content occurs when a web page loaded over HTTPS (secure) includes resources (such as images, videos, stylesheets, scripts) over HTTP (insecure). This creates a significant security vulnerability, as it exposes your users to potential man-in-the-middle attacks.

When a secure HTTPS page includes content over insecure HTTP:

• It compromises the security of your entire page, as attackers could potentially intercept and modify the insecure resources.
• Modern browsers may block the insecure content, breaking the functionality or appearance of your website.
• Users may see security warnings, potentially damaging trust in your website.
• Search engines may penalize your site's ranking due to security concerns.

To maintain the highest level of security, ensure all resources are loaded over HTTPS. This may involve updating old content, checking third-party integrations, and potentially using a Content Security Policy to enforce HTTPS usage.

Learn more: Mixed Content

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a crucial security tool that helps protect your web applications by filtering and monitoring HTTP traffic between the application and the Internet. It acts as a shield, intercepting and inspecting incoming traffic for potential threats before they reach your server.

Key benefits of using a WAF include:

• Protection against common web exploits such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), file inclusion, and improper system configuration.
• Real-time threat detection and prevention, often catching new and evolving threats before traditional security measures can be updated.
• Compliance assistance for various security standards (e.g., PCI DSS).
• Reduced strain on server resources by filtering out malicious traffic before it reaches your application.
• Customizable rules to address specific security needs of your application.

While a WAF is a powerful security tool, it should be part of a comprehensive security strategy that includes secure coding practices, regular updates, and other security measures.

Learn more: What is a WAF?

Server Information

Server information refers to details about your web server software, its version, and potentially other configuration details. While this information can be useful for debugging and maintenance, it can also be exploited by malicious actors to identify specific vulnerabilities.

Revealing detailed server information can potentially help attackers in several ways:

• Version-specific vulnerabilities: Knowing the exact version of server software can help attackers identify known vulnerabilities for that specific version.
• Tailored attacks: With knowledge of the server type and version, attackers can craft more targeted and potentially more effective attacks.
• Fingerprinting: Detailed server information can be used to "fingerprint" your infrastructure, potentially revealing more about your technology stack.

It's generally recommended to hide or minimize the amount of server information exposed in HTTP headers. This practice, known as "security through obscurity," isn't a standalone security measure but can be part of a defense-in-depth strategy.

DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions)

DNSSEC is a set of specifications that add a layer of security to the Domain Name System (DNS) lookup and exchange processes. It was designed to protect against DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks by cryptographically signing DNS records.

Key aspects of DNSSEC include:

• Origin authentication: Ensures that the DNS data comes from its stated source.
• Data integrity: Verifies that the data hasn't been modified in transit.
• Authenticated denial of existence: Proves that a requested DNS record legitimately doesn't exist.

Implementing DNSSEC helps prevent various attacks, including DNS cache poisoning, where an attacker might redirect users to a malicious site by corrupting DNS data. While DNSSEC doesn't encrypt DNS data, it ensures its authenticity and integrity, forming a crucial part of a comprehensive security strategy.

Learn more: What is DNSSEC?

Nameservers

Nameservers play a crucial role in the Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure. They are responsible for translating human-readable domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network.

Key points about nameservers:

• Redundancy: Using multiple nameservers on different networks improves reliability. If one nameserver fails, others can still resolve your domain.
• Geographic distribution: Placing nameservers in different geographic locations can improve resolution speed for users around the world.
• Security: Properly configured nameservers are crucial for preventing DNS hijacking and maintaining the integrity of your domain.
• Performance: High-quality nameservers with good uptime and quick response times can improve the overall speed and reliability of your website.

Regularly monitoring and maintaining your nameservers is an important part of ensuring your website's availability and security.

Email Authentication (DMARC and DKIM)

Email authentication protocols are crucial for preventing email spoofing, phishing attacks, and maintaining the integrity of email communication. Two key protocols in this area are DMARC and DKIM.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance):

• Allows domain owners to specify how to handle unauthenticated emails seemingly from their domain.
• Provides a way for receiving mail exchangers to report back to the domain owner about messages claiming to be from their domain.
• Helps prevent unauthorized use of your domain in email messages, protecting your brand and users from phishing attempts.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail):

• Adds a digital signature to emails, allowing verification that they were sent by an authorized sender.
• Ensures that certain parts of the email, including attachments, have not been altered in transit.
• Helps improve deliverability of your emails by providing a way for receiving mail systems to verify their authenticity.

Implementing these protocols significantly enhances email security, protects against various forms of email-based attacks, and helps maintain the trustworthiness of your domain in email communication.

Learn more: DMARC/DKIM/SPF Overview