The Real Reasons Behind the Rise in Cybersecurity Threats

In the last few years, anyone running a website, online store, or SaaS platform has felt the same tension: cybersecurity incidents are no longer rare news headlines, they are part of day‑to‑day operations. At dchost.com, we see it directly in logs, firewall statistics, and customer tickets. Automated bots are constantly scanning for weak passwords, outdated plugins, misconfigured DNS records, and unprotected APIs. Even very small sites with a few hundred daily visitors are now regularly targeted, simply because they are online and reachable.

This steady rise in cybersecurity threats is not hype; it is the outcome of clear technical and economic trends. Attacks are cheaper to run, easier to automate, and far more profitable for attackers than they used to be. The good news: you can respond in a structured, calm way. In this article, we will unpack why threats are increasing, which attacks we most often see on hosting platforms, and how you can build a realistic defense‑in‑depth strategy for your domains, hosting, VPS and dedicated servers—without turning security into a full‑time job.

The Bigger Picture: Why Cybersecurity Threats Are Escalating

To understand the rise in cybersecurity threats, it helps to look at what has changed in the broader internet ecosystem. The internet is no longer a network of a few big sites and many static pages. It’s a dense mesh of APIs, microservices, SaaS products, mobile apps, IoT devices, payment gateways and content platforms. Every one of those components adds new entry points that can be scanned, probed, and abused.

At the same time, attackers no longer need deep technical skills to be dangerous. There are marketplaces where ready‑made exploit kits, phishing pages, credential lists and even DDoS‑as‑a‑service are sold or rented. A teenager with a small budget can suddenly operate at a scale that used to require a whole team of experts. This is one of the core reasons we see so many more automated attacks against hosting providers and data centers.

Automation and Botnets Everywhere

Twenty years ago, an attacker might manually probe a handful of servers. Today, a single script can scan millions of IP addresses per day, trying default passwords, old WordPress exploits, or vulnerable APIs. Infected machines (PCs, IoT devices, compromised servers) are linked into botnets that can:

• Launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against websites and DNS
• Perform credential stuffing on login forms using leaked password lists
• Scan for misconfigured admin panels, APIs or storage buckets

We covered this specifically for hosting providers in our article on the rise in DDoS attacks targeting hosting platforms and providers. The short version: whenever something can be automated, it will be—and that includes cybercrime.

Cybercrime Is a Business Now

Attackers today operate with a business mindset. They care about return on investment just like you do. Ransomware, stolen payment data, compromised ad accounts, and hijacked social media profiles all have clear black‑market prices. This makes even small websites attractive: a hacked WordPress with 5,000 monthly visitors might be used to inject spam links, distribute malware, or host phishing pages against other brands.

Because there is real money behind it, attackers are willing to:

• Continuously improve their tooling and automation
• Share or sell exploit kits and phishing templates
• Target infrastructure (DNS, hosting, email) rather than just web apps

That is why we see more sophisticated attempts not only against public sites, but also against admin panels, email servers and control panels.

Expanding Attack Surface: Remote Work, APIs and SaaS

Remote work and SaaS adoption brought a lot of convenience—but also more things to secure. Admins and developers now log in from many networks and devices, and companies expose APIs for mobile apps, partners, and internal dashboards. Misconfigured access controls on these APIs can leak sensitive data or allow attackers to trigger harmful actions directly.

We also see more attacks targeting API endpoints instead of just web forms. This requires a different way of thinking about security: protecting your entire application surface, not only the user‑facing pages.

IPv4 Scarcity, Scanning and Abuse

There is another subtle factor behind the rise in threats: IPv4 scarcity. As IPv4 addresses become more expensive and harder to obtain, they are also being recycled, transferred and reassigned more aggressively across providers. Blocks that once belonged to legitimate organizations can later be acquired and misused by attackers for spam, phishing, or malware hosting.

We have written in detail about this in our pieces on IPv4 exhaustion, price surges and long‑term strategies and why IPv4 address prices hit record highs. The bottom line: limited IPv4 space and intense scanning activity mean that any public IP will be discovered and tested very quickly, often within minutes of going online.

The Most Common Cybersecurity Threats We See on Hosting Platforms

Let’s move from the big picture to what we actually observe daily on hosting, VPS and dedicated servers. Patterns are surprisingly consistent, whether for a personal blog or a high‑traffic e‑commerce site.

Brute Force and Credential Stuffing on Logins

One of the most frequent threats is simply login abuse. Automated bots attempt to sign in on:

• CMS logins (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
• Control panels (cPanel, Plesk, custom panels)
• SSH and FTP on VPS/dedicated servers
• Webmail and email protocols (IMAP/POP/SMTP)

There are two main techniques:

• Brute force: Trying many random passwords against a single account.
• Credential stuffing: Using leaked username/password combinations from other breaches, hoping users reused them.

We often see the same IPs attempting thousands of logins across multiple customers in a short time window. Rate limiting, IP blocking and two‑factor authentication (2FA) dramatically reduce the success rate of such attacks. For control panels like cPanel, we maintain a detailed cPanel security hardening checklist to stop brute force and malware that you can follow step by step.

DDoS Attacks Against Websites and DNS

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks aim to overwhelm your site or infrastructure with traffic so that legitimate visitors cannot reach it. They do not always look like giant spikes; sometimes they are low‑and‑slow, carefully tuned to exhaust application resources instead of bandwidth.

On shared hosting, even a moderate DDoS can slow down multiple customers if not isolated properly. On VPS and dedicated servers, they can saturate your network link or exhaust CPU and RAM if your application is not optimized for high concurrency. In our post on why DDoS attacks against hosting providers are rising, we explain why attackers increasingly target shared infrastructure and DNS rather than individual IPs.

Web Application Exploits: SQL Injection, XSS and RCE

Whenever code processes user input, you have potential application‑level vulnerabilities. The classics still matter:

• SQL injection: Injecting malicious queries into database calls, often via unsanitized form fields.
• Cross‑site scripting (XSS): Injecting scripts into pages that run in visitors’ browsers, stealing cookies or redirecting traffic.
• Remote code execution (RCE): Exploits that allow attackers to run arbitrary commands on the server.

In shared environments, one vulnerable plugin or badly written custom script can allow an attacker to upload a web shell, pivot to other files, and infect multiple sites. That’s why we strongly recommend regular patching and using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with modern rules.

We’ve covered practical WAF tuning in our guide how to tune ModSecurity and OWASP CRS so WAF protects you without breaking your site. When combined with good HTTP security headers (CSP, HSTS, etc.), you significantly reduce the blast radius of many of these attacks.

Email‑Based Threats: Phishing and Business Email Compromise

Even when your servers are perfectly patched, attackers can still go around your defenses by targeting your users’ inboxes. Phishing emails that look like login alerts, invoices, or support messages are still one of the most effective ways to steal credentials or trick staff into sending money.

Modern email security relies on a combination of DNS‑based controls and user awareness. Technologies like SPF, DKIM and DMARC help verify that emails claiming to be from your domain are actually authorized. We wrote a practical walkthrough on using SPF, DKIM, DMARC and reverse DNS to improve email deliverability and authenticity. The same tools that keep your email out of spam also make it harder for attackers to spoof your domain in phishing campaigns.

Building Defense‑in‑Depth for Domains, Hosting and Servers

Because threats are rising from many directions at once, there is no single magic product that solves cybersecurity. What works in real life is defense‑in‑depth: multiple layers that make attacks harder, noisier, and less profitable. Here is how we recommend layering your defenses around domains, hosting accounts, VPS and dedicated servers.

1. Start with Identity: Strong Authentication Everywhere

Your login pages are the front doors to everything else. If an attacker can sign in as you, they do not need an exploit. For all critical accounts, aim for:

• Unique, strong passwords stored in a password manager
• Two‑factor authentication (2FA) wherever available (control panels, domain registrar, email, billing portal)
• Separate logins for team members instead of shared credentials

For domains in particular, 2FA and registrar lock can prevent unauthorized transfers or DNS changes. Our guide on domain security best practices including registrar lock, DNSSEC, Whois privacy and 2FA dives into the exact switches you should turn on for safe domain management.

2. Harden Your Hosting Stack

On shared hosting, good defaults from your provider go a long way—but you still control important pieces: your CMS, plugins, themes and application code. On VPS and dedicated servers, you control almost everything, which is powerful but also risky if you leave services open or unpatched.

Our baseline hardening recommendations:

• Keep your CMS (WordPress, etc.) and all plugins/themes up to date.
• Remove unused plugins, themes and demo applications—fewer components, fewer vulnerabilities.
• Use minimal, well‑maintained plugins rather than large “do everything” bundles.
• Restrict write permissions on critical directories and configuration files.
• For VPS/dedicated: disable password‑based SSH and use SSH keys; close unused ports; configure a firewall.

We maintain a very hands‑on guide on how to secure a VPS server without drama, including SSH hardening, firewall configuration and basic intrusion detection that you can apply to any Linux VPS or dedicated server hosted with us.

3. Network‑Level Protection: Firewalls, DDoS Mitigation and DNS Security

While application hardening protects your code, network‑level controls protect who can talk to your services and how. Key layers include:

• Host firewalls (nftables, iptables, firewalld, UFW) to restrict ports and rate‑limit abusive traffic.
• Network firewalls and DDoS protection at the data center edge, to filter floods before they reach your server.
• DNS security measures such as DNSSEC to prevent DNS tampering and cache poisoning.

If your domain’s DNS is compromised, attackers can redirect email, admin panels, and even your entire website to their own servers. That is why DNSSEC matters. In our article on what DNSSEC is and how it makes your website more secure, we explain how DNS records are cryptographically signed so resolvers can detect tampering.

4. Web Application Firewall and Security Headers

A web application firewall (WAF) sits in front of your application, inspecting HTTP traffic and blocking known attack patterns. Combined with modern HTTP security headers, it significantly reduces common risks:

• Blocks typical SQL injection and XSS attempts with OWASP CRS rules
• Mitigates file upload abuse and common CMS exploit payloads
• Works as a safety net while you patch plugins and frameworks

At dchost.com we see strong results when customers combine ModSecurity + OWASP CRS with good header policies. Our guide on HTTP security headers like HSTS, CSP and X‑Frame‑Options and the dedicated WAF tuning article mentioned earlier walk through real‑world configurations that are both secure and compatible.

5. Backups and Incident Response: Assume Breach

No matter how careful you are, you should plan for the day something goes wrong—be it a hacked plugin, a deleted database table, or ransomware on a self‑managed VPS. The fastest way back to normal is a well‑designed backup strategy and a simple response plan.

We strongly recommend the 3‑2‑1 backup strategy:

• 3 copies of your data (1 production + 2 backups)
• 2 different media or storage types
• 1 copy offsite and offline/immutable

Our article on the 3‑2‑1 backup strategy and how to automate backups on cPanel, Plesk and VPS shows how to implement this with real tools. Pair those backups with a short incident runbook: who to contact, where backups are stored, what to restore first, and how to rotate passwords after an incident.

6. Monitoring and Logging: See Problems Early

Finally, you need visibility. Logs and metrics are your early warning system. Things to monitor:

• Repeated failed logins on control panels, SSH, and web apps
• Unusual outbound email volume (may indicate spam or compromised accounts)
• CPU, RAM and network spikes that do not match normal traffic patterns
• File changes in critical directories (application code, configs)

Even simple alerting—such as notifications for high 5xx error rates or sustained CPU usage—can point you to attacks or misconfigurations before they escalate into downtime. We have shared several practical monitoring playbooks on our blog for VPS environments; they all follow the same principle: gather logs centrally, keep them long enough to investigate incidents, and set a few carefully chosen alerts instead of hundreds of noisy ones.

How We Think About Security at dchost.com

Because we operate domains, shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers and colocation, we see cybersecurity as a shared responsibility between us and our customers. Our job is to secure the underlying infrastructure: data center, network, hypervisors, storage, and core services. Your job is to secure your applications, accounts and business processes. When both sides do their part, the risk level drops dramatically.

On our side this means:

• Keeping server OS and platform software patched and up to date
• Applying network‑level protections and DDoS mitigation at the data center edge
• Isolating customer environments to reduce cross‑impact between accounts
• Providing tooling for backups, SSL, WAF and DNS security, and supporting their correct configuration

We also spend a lot of time publishing practical guides like the ones linked in this article, because we know that many security incidents start from small oversights: a reused password, an old plugin, a forgotten test subdomain pointing to a public admin panel. Our goal is not just to host your workloads, but to give you enough clarity so you can keep them safe without turning into a full‑time security engineer.

A Calm 30‑Day Plan to Respond to Rising Cybersecurity Threats

If all of this feels like a lot, break it down into a simple, time‑boxed plan. Here is a realistic 30‑day roadmap you can apply to almost any environment hosted with us.

Week 1: Accounts, Access and Inventory

• List all critical accounts: domain registrar, hosting control panel, VPS root, Git hosting, payment gateways, email admin.
• Enable 2FA on every account that supports it.
• Change any reused passwords and store new ones in a password manager.
• Review who has access: remove ex‑employees, old freelancers, and unused accounts.

Week 2: Patching and Hardening

• Update your CMS, plugins, themes and server packages.
• Remove unused applications, test sites and old plugins.
• For VPS/dedicated servers, follow a hardening guide (SSH keys, firewall, minimal services).
• Turn on basic WAF rules if available in your hosting plan or reverse proxy stack.

Week 3: DNS, Email and Backups

• Review your DNS records: remove obsolete entries, secure name servers, enable DNSSEC where supported.
• Configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC for all sending domains.
• Implement or verify automated backups for files and databases.
• Test at least one full restore to a staging environment.

Week 4: Monitoring and Runbooks

• Enable basic monitoring for uptime, CPU, RAM and disk usage.
• Set alerts for abnormal login failures and error rates.
• Write a one‑page incident runbook: who to contact, where documentation and backups live, how to communicate with customers.
• Schedule a quarterly review of security settings and access lists.

Conclusion: Staying Calm in a Noisy Threat Landscape

The rise in cybersecurity threats is real, but it does not have to be paralyzing. What has changed is the volume and automation of attacks—not the fundamentals of good security. Strong identity controls, patched software, layered defenses (WAF, firewalls, DNSSEC), reliable backups and basic monitoring still stop the vast majority of real‑world incidents we see across our hosting platform.

If you host your domains, websites or applications with dchost.com, you are not facing this alone. Our team works every day on infrastructure‑level protection while sharing playbooks you can apply on your own stack. Take a quiet hour this week to walk through the 30‑day plan above, turn on the security features you are not yet using, and document how you would recover from an incident. If you are unsure where to begin—whether it is choosing the right hosting type, securing a VPS or hardening a control panel—reach out to us. The sooner you turn rising threats into a structured checklist, the more confidently you can grow your online presence.