Yes. SIRSTEVEHQ uses multiple layers of security to help protect our hosting infrastructure, including firewall protection designed to monitor, filter, and block potentially malicious traffic before it reaches your hosting environment.
Our firewall systems form part of our overall security strategy and help protect websites and servers against a range of common cyber threats.
What Does a Firewall Do?
A firewall acts as a security barrier between your server or website and the internet. It monitors network traffic and applies predefined security rules to determine whether connections or requests should be allowed or blocked.
This helps prevent unauthorised access while allowing legitimate visitors and services to communicate with your website.
What Types of Threats Can a Firewall Help Prevent?
Firewall protection can help defend against various types of malicious or suspicious traffic, including:
- Unauthorised access attempts
- Brute-force attacks
- Malicious bots
- Web application attacks
- Port scanning
- Attempts to exploit known vulnerabilities
- Suspicious network traffic
- Certain types of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
While firewalls provide an important layer of protection, no firewall can guarantee complete protection against every type of cyber attack.
Does SIRSTEVEHQ Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)?
Yes. On supported hosting platforms, Imunify360 provides a Web Application Firewall (WAF) as part of its security features.
A WAF is designed specifically to inspect web traffic, including HTTP and HTTPS requests, and block potentially malicious requests before they reach your web application.
This can help protect websites and applications against common web-based attacks, including attacks targeting content management systems such as WordPress.
Does Firewall Protection Prevent My Website from Being Hacked?
No.
Firewall protection is an important part of website security, but it cannot prevent every possible attack.
A website may still be compromised because of issues such as:
- Outdated software
- Vulnerable plugins or themes
- Weak or reused passwords
- Insecure custom code
- Compromised login credentials
- Poorly configured applications
Website security is a shared responsibility between the hosting provider and the website owner.
How Can I Improve My Website's Security?
You can further strengthen your website's security by:
- Keeping WordPress, plugins, and themes updated
- Using strong and unique passwords
- Enabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) where available
- Installing software only from trusted sources
- Removing unused plugins and themes
- Using HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate
- Creating regular backups
- Scanning your website for malware
- Monitoring your website for unusual activity
Combining these practices with the security measures provided by your hosting environment can help reduce the risk of common security threats.
Can I Configure the Firewall Myself?
Firewall management depends on your hosting service.
For customers using Unmanaged VPS, server-level firewall configuration and management are the customer's responsibility unless another firewall management solution has been deployed.
For SIRSTEVEHQ shared hosting services, server-level firewall management is handled as part of the hosting infrastructure. Customers do not have direct access to modify server-level firewall rules.
If you are using a cloud server where you have administrative control, the available firewall configuration options may depend on the specific service and server environment.
What Should I Do If Legitimate Traffic Is Being Blocked?
If you believe legitimate traffic is being blocked or you are experiencing a security-related issue, open a support ticketfrom your SIRSTEVEHQ Client Area.
Please include:
- Your domain name
- A description of the issue
- Any error messages received
- The date and time the issue occurred
- Any recent changes made to your website
Our Support Team will investigate whether the issue may be related to the hosting environment and provide guidance where appropriate.
