The whole category in one page.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND
Anything in public_html is downloadable by anyone.
Automated scanning finds common filenames.
WHAT TO CHECK NOW
Look for backup archives, database exports and any document containing credentials in public_html.
Most accounts have something.
PERMISSIONS
Directories 755, files 644, configuration files more restrictive.
Never 777.
HIDDEN FILES
Enable showing them. .htaccess is hidden and is the most commonly missed file in a migration.
BEFORE EDITING ANY FILE
Copy it. Restoring from a copy takes seconds.
FOR TRANSFERS
Compress on the server, transfer one archive, extract.
Far faster than thousands of small files.
FOR BACKUPS
Files plus database, stored off the server, deleted from the account afterwards.
FOR SECURITY
No abandoned installations No backup copies of configuration files No execution in upload directories
WHAT CAUSES MOST COMPROMISES ON SHARED HOSTING
A forgotten application in a subdirectory, never updated.
