Stronger Website Security Without Putting the Work on the Business Owner
When someone asks us what security is included with Security Max hosting, the short answer is everything included with our Security Essentials plan plus another large layer of active protection. Security Max includes a cPGuard license that is always watching the website, scanning for malware, and helping stop attacks before they become a bigger problem.
More importantly, you don’t have to become a website security expert.
One of our goals with Security Max is to take the stress, worry, and fear that can come with website security and put that on our shoulders at Full Scope Creative. You have a business to run. You shouldn’t have to figure out if a strange file buried inside WordPress is good or bad.
Security Max is the hosting plan we recommend for most small businesses.
Includes Everything From Security Essentials
Security Max starts with everything already included in our Security Essentials hosting plan.
We monitor security notices and suspicious activity. We keep WordPress, plugins, and themes updated. We can block suspicious IP addresses or countries when needed, and we’re there to keep an eye on the website and make sure things keep running smoothly.
You also have the Full Scope Creative team when you need help. If you have questions or things don’t look right, we’re just an email, phone call, or text message away. You’ll never have to wait on hold trying to explain your website to someone who has never seen it before.
With Security Max, we take that Security Essentials foundation and add cPGuard.
Security Max Includes Always-On Malware Scanning
cPGuard is always running.
It is constantly checking the website for files that look like malware, files that are acting suspiciously, or files that simply should not be there.
This isn’t a scan that we have to remember to run every couple of weeks. cPGuard doesn’t take weekends off. It doesn’t celebrate holidays. It doesn’t get tired.
It just keeps watching.
That is an important difference because malware doesn’t wait until Monday morning at 8:00 to try getting into your website. Automated attacks can happen at any time, and having something actively watching the site gives us another layer of protection.
What Happens When cPGuard Finds Malware?
Not every suspicious file needs the same response.
If cPGuard knows that a file is malware, it can clean or remove it without someone needing to sit there and approve every step.
Sometimes a file looks suspicious, but cPGuard wants a human to review it. In that case, the file can be quarantined and Full Scope Creative gets involved. We can review what happened and decide what needs to be done.
You don’t get handed that decision.
There are thousands of files that can make up a WordPress website. We don’t expect a business owner to look at a strange filename and somehow know whether it belongs there.
That’s our job.
Security Max adds always-on malware scanning, firewall protection, and included malware cleanup to everything already covered by Security Essentials. If something happens, Full Scope Creative handles the technical work and helps get your website cleaned up, secured, and running smoothly again.
What Is Website Firewall Protection?
A firewall is another layer of protection included with Security Max.
It is a little like having a security guard standing at the door. Traffic is always wanting to reach your website. Most of it is perfectly normal. Some of it isn’t.
The firewall helps look at that traffic and stop known or suspicious activity before it gets farther into the website.
It doesn’t mean nobody can ever get through. There isn’t one security setting we can turn on and suddenly promise that a website can never be hacked.
Website security is about layers. The firewall gives us another strong layer to put between your website and someone trying to cause problems.
cPGuard Does More Than Scan for Malware
Malware scanning and firewall protection are two of the biggest reasons we use cPGuard, but they aren’t the only things it does.
cPGuard also helps us:
- Patch severe plugin security vulnerabilities quickly
- Look for unauthorized cron jobs that could reinfect a website
- Scan both website files and the database for malware
- Block bad bots and website scrapers
- Run extra malware scans whenever we want
- Watch for outgoing email spam on hosting accounts that use server-based email
- Protect the site from the server level instead of relying only on a WordPress plugin
Most business owners never need to know how all of those pieces work. That’s part of why we use cPGuard. It gives Full Scope Creative more tools to protect the website while keeping the technical work off your plate.
You can read more about everything cPGuard does to help protect a website in our full cPGuard security guide.
Security Max Includes Malware Cleanup and Remediation
This is one of the biggest reasons we recommend Security Max.
If malware still manages to get into the website, the cleanup and remediation work is included with your Security Max hosting.
You aren’t suddenly left with a hacked website and told you now need to figure out how to clean it up. You aren’t expected to start digging through folders or researching what malware files look like.
cPGuard and Full Scope Creative handle it.
Having cPGuard running before an attack happens also gives us more options. It has already been watching the files and the activity on the website.
We can add cPGuard after an infection happens, but we can’t promise it will always be able to clean everything at that point. Having that protection running before an attack happens puts us in the best position for what might happen.
What Happens After Malware Is Removed?
Removing the bad file is only the start of the job.
If malware or a hacker got into the website, we need to make sure we close any doors we can. Depending on what happened, that may mean:
- Changing cPanel passwords
- Changing FTP account passwords
- Reviewing WordPress user accounts and removing users who shouldn’t be there
- Changing website email passwords when needed
- Changing database passwords
- Creating a new database user
- Moving the site to a new database when we feel that is the safest option
- Reviewing everything again to make sure the site is cleaned up and buttoned down
The exact steps can change depending on the attack.
Our goal is the same. Clean the infection, fix what needs to be fixed, and get the website back into a clean and stable condition.
Security Max Is Our Recommended Hosting Plan
Security Essentials gives a professionally hosted website the security baseline we believe it should have.
Security Max takes that several steps farther.
It gives us constant malware scanning, firewall protection, malware cleanup, and the tools we need to respond when something goes wrong. For most small businesses, that’s the plan we recommend.
A small business can’t afford to have its website down for days. Depending on what the website does, an infection can also create much larger problems if information is stolen or compromised.
We would rather have the protection in place before we need it.
You run your business. We manage the website and the security that comes with it.
Can Security Max Guarantee a Website Will Never Be Hacked?
No hosting company can honestly guarantee that a website will never be attacked or infected.
Hackers change tactics. Malware changes. New security problems are discovered all the time.
What we can promise is that with Security Max we are doing everything we reasonably can to protect your website. We put multiple security measures in place, actively monitor the site, keep its software updated, and have a plan already in place if malware ever does get through.
That is a much better position to be in than trying to figure everything out after an attack has already happened.
Security Max Puts the Website Security Work on Our Shoulders
Website security sounds scary when you hear about malware, firewalls, brute-force attacks, infected files, and hacked websites.
Website security shouldn’t become your job. That’s our job.
With Security Max, Full Scope Creative handles the monitoring, updates, active malware scanning, firewall protection, review, cleanup, and remediation work for you.
You keep running your business. We’ll keep working to protect the website.
If you have any questions on Security Max hosting or any of our services, reach out and chat with Full Scope Creative today!