Server Security Measures

Dedicated server Guard uses two levels of blocking - Hard Blocking and Soft Blocking

Hard Blocking blocks the IP or IP Block so that it cannot connect to your server at all. The Originating IP cannot even look at a web page on the server, email, or anything else. This is reserved for those IP's or areas whom have attempted to hack our servers or send out massive bulk email. Therefore Dedicated Server Guard blocks most of Asia to include China, Vietnam, Korea, and more. The Hard Blocking also includes most of Turkey and India - both for hacking attempts. In addition, the likes of Nigeria and other known hacking and phishing countries have also been hard blocked.

From our perspective, since we are conducting business on the Internet for twelve years now, except for hacking and spamming not one of these countries have ever purchased a single item from us - Therefore blocking them is not an issue which reserves our server resources for those whom we do possibly have an opportunity to do business.

Honestly, when was the last time you had a purchase made on your web site friom Vietnam, China, Korea, or Turkey? If the answer is similar to our experience ..... never.

Soft Blocking only blocks the IP or IP Block from connecting to your email server - therefore cutting down on spam immensly but still allowing the IP holder to visit the web site, use contact us forms, and all other aspects of the web site with the exception of emailing you direct. Currently Soft Blocking is being implemented mostly on Europe and Russia.

Russia you say? Yes. To date we have had Russians spamming us but they have not been active in trying to Hack or Crack our Servers. If this status changes we will of course take appropriate action.

Note: Regardless if it is a Hard Block or a Soft Block, there is a way to allow certain IP's Only or a certain IP Block Only - even if it is Blocked by Dedicated Server Guard - Instructions for this operation are found in the Members Area.

Some areas of the world we try never to block, and as the case with the United States and Canada we inform their ISP or the Host and in almost every case the problem was handled very quickly and the garbage stopped. Actually one of the only ones we have had trouble with is Hotmail - we sent spam reports several times a day to them for a week over the same spammer and they did not block that person - so for a time we blocked one of their email servers.

Other araes of particular interest not to block are the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and more. Not only do these areas actively do business with us on the Internet, they add to our business instead of take from our business and resources with frivolous attempts at Spamming and Hacking.

During February of each year in fairness to those we have Soft Blocked and due to Dynamic IP's, we compress and remove the blocks from most of the soft blocks and we firm up the hard blocks. Of course at this time this allows some attempts from new IP's or reassigned IP's to attempt to spam or hack us - but it is quickly put under control as we identify the culprits.