When thinking about automated hosting, cPanel is one of the most common types that comes to mind. It is used by many people, helping manage the server and making website management easier to handle – but that automation goes hand in hand with some security risks. There are a few things you can do to optimize cPanel and WHM, making it so that you can continue to use these services without taking unnecessary risks with the safety of your site.

Make sure that you regularly update cPanel. These patches are rolled out to address everything from bugs to security flaws, and skipping one could lead to disaster. It does not take much time to complete updates, and better yet, it’s very easy to configure automatic updates. Just visit WHM>Server Configuration>Update Preferences to set up this automated feature that is sure to be beneficial.

Enable SSL and make it mandatory for all of your users. Visit WHM>Server Configuration>Tweak Settings to do so, and users will be directed to http rather than https.

Force users to select secure passwords by visiting WHM>Security Center>Password Strength Configuration. The stronger, the better! When your users have to create strong passwords it gives added security to your system. Do not allow users to use passwords that are based on dictionary words or significant dates, as these are easily guessed by both humans and automated password cracking programs. A password that includes at least eight characters, both alphanumeric and grammatical symbols, should be strong enough to meet your needs without making it too challenging for a user to generate a password that they can remember.

With these tips in mind, you should be able to use cPanel and WHM without risking security. Use automated hosting to your advantage without the added worry!