When To Use PDF Security Software And Site Protection Software
When we search online for "site protection software" we get a lot of results for software that is mainly based on anti-virus. Yet personally I have never had the need to use anti-virus software on a web server, little lone a website. And that is because the concept of anti-virus software on servers is a useless concept that can only appeal to naive inexperienced website owners.
If wanna-be hackers can't upload or overwrite your content, then they can do no more than try to overwrite your database, and if you sanitize inputs and prevent remote updates then they can't do that either. Well they used to be able to add/remove data in the old days when everyone was using Access databases, but Microsoft SQL and MySQL databases can be most secure when set up properly.
So one might ask why take the chance, let's use
site protection software that detects intruders and checks that no infected files have been uploaded to protect websites managed by dummies? Only problem is that anyone trying to keep out intruders while leaving doors open is a fool and deserves to be hacked. Such fools will also be storing passwords in plain text and adding their email addresses to web pages for web scrapers to collect and use for spam. Oh, and what use is anti-virus software except to mop up the mess after the damage has already been done.
Prevention is much better than cure as anyone who has had a database corrupted will know. A corrupted database is usually useless because most of the hackers probing databases intent on adding data for SEO spam are usually as stupid as the site owner that let them in. Instead of adding their data where it might work best, they usually add rubbish to all table columns which prevents the website from running. What use is that hacked web site to them if their spam cannot be found?
As a webmaster I have managed all types of servers on various continents for DNS, mail, website hosting and internet access, and I have never run antivirus software on a server because it is not needed. Although there was one exception and that was when all servers were infected by a virus just by being connected to the Internet. But that was about 15 years ago and all server operating systems have since been updated to prevent a reoccurrence. Even then, once the infected files were removed the antivirus software was removed.
File permissions are everything. If files need to be uploaded then their file type needs to be limited. Anyone with some scripting ability can do that. All CMS plugins should be vetted to ensure that they only allow uploading of the file types that you want and that write and execute permissions are limited to trusted users.
So when you have all of the common sense precautions taken care of, which should be done in any case, you can then use site protection software that can prevent mischief at the onset. By using the ArtistScope Site Protection Software (ASPS) you can limit access to the website to a secure web browser only, thus preventing access by all other means.
ASPS requires that site visitors use the ArtisBrowser web browser. Because ASPS web pages are encrypted no other browser or application can even download or read the page, and there is no way to submit a request to an ASPS page except via the ArtisBrowser. If you have a well known website already and site stats, not Google's tracking, but real stats that log all page requests, you may have already noticed that more than half of the page requests are either for pages and scripts that do not exist on your web site or are trying to query your database with executable commands. Well that will do nothing for them when faced with an ASPS web page.
With ASPS no further protection is needed for data and website content. In fact while using ASPS you also have the option of applying copy protection that will prevent all save and copy including screenshots and screen recording, thus copy protecting all and everything that can be displayed on a web page including text, images and video. While viewed in the ArtisBrowser nothing can be extracted from browser cache or memory. Not even packet sniffing software can extract data from the secure tunnel between an ASPS website and the ArtisBrowser.
When I say that all media can be protected, there is one exception and that is PDF because any PDF displayed on a web page is accessible via Adobe Reader plugins which persistently display save, copy and print options that can no longer be removed. To securely protect PDF with ASPS you should instead use a JavaScript plugin that dissembles the PDF and then displays its pages as HTML. Depending on which CMS you use there should be a variety to choose from.
Alternatively you can use the CopySafe PDF Protection software which today is the only
PDF security software that can be used on web pages that is safe from all copy including screenshots and recording. CopySafe protects PDF by encrypting the PDF file which can then be displayed in a special viewer that is installed with the ArtisBrowser. The encryption process uses the website domain as the key so that protected PDF can be domain locked, ie: even if the file is downloaded it can only displayed on your website.
Plugins are available for both ASPS and CopySafe PDF for all of the popular CMS such as WordPress, Moodle, Joomla, Drupal and DNN. To nominate a page for ASPS protection all one need do is to add its url or a keyword found in its url. To add copy protected PDF to a web page, while editing or creating the page, simply upload the encrypted file and nominate its parameters such as width, height, etc.
Who uses site protection software? Anyone and everyone who has a livelihood to protect.
Author: William Kent
Date: 27th October 2020
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