The attacker uses an automated computer program to generate and try different combinations of passwords or keys, often starting with the simplest combinations and progressing to more complex ones. These attacks can exploit vulnerabilities in systems that have no login limits or that use weak passwords.

Malware can infect systems in a number of ways, including via malicious downloads, infected email attachments, compromised websites, infected USB devices, unsecured networks, and many others. Cybercriminals use various social engineering and hacking techniques to trick users into running malicious programs on their devices.

There are several variants of brute-force attacks, including:

• Simple brute-force attacks: Trying every possible combination of characters.
• Dictionary attacks: Using lists of common words or common passwords.
• Hybrid brute-force attacks: Combining brute-force techniques with dictionary elements or predictable character sequences.

Malware can take different forms, each with its own goals and methods of propagation.

Here are some of the most common types of malware:

• Viruses: A program that can spread by infecting other files or programs on a system.
• Worms: Self-contained programs that can spread from one computer to another over computer networks.
• Trojans: Programs that pose as legitimate software to trick users into downloading them, allowing cybercriminals to gain access to systems.
• Spyware: Programs designed to monitor and collect information about a user's activities without their knowledge.
• Ransomware: Malicious software that encrypts a user's files and demands payment of a ransom to unlock them.
• Adware: Programs designed to display intrusive, unwanted advertising on users' computers.

A brute-force attack is a technique used by cybercriminals to try to guess confidential information such as passwords or encryption keys by repeatedly and systematically trying different combinations until the right one is found.

|| A malicious IP is the address of a machine on the internet from which harmful activity originates: intrusion attempts, automated attacks, spam sending, malware distribution. Spotting and filtering these addresses is part of protecting your hosting.

Reminder: what is an IP address?

An IP address is the identifier of a device connected to the internet, a bit like a phone number for a machine. Every server, computer, or smartphone has one when communicating online.
Find your IP address

What makes an IP "malicious"

An IP is considered malicious when it's associated with hostile behavior, for example:
* repeated attempts to guess passwords (brute-force attacks);
* automated scanning for vulnerabilities on your services;
* participation in denial-of-service attacks (DDoS);
* mass sending of spam or phishing emails;
* distributing malware or controlling infected machines.
Often, these addresses belong to machines that have themselves been compromised, unknowingly enlisted into an attack network (a "botnet").

How they're spotted

Several signals help identify a malicious IP: its reputation, when it appears on blocklists maintained by the security community, and above all its behavior observed in real time, such as a spike in failed connections or abnormal traffic. In the interest of honesty: it isn't always black and white. The same address can be shared by several users, or become malicious temporarily after being compromised, then become clean again. An IP's reputation changes over time.

What Hodi does

Filtering these addresses is part of the security included with your hosting. Specifically:
* our monitoring watches traffic 24/7 and detects abnormal behavior;
* a web application firewall (WAF) filters suspicious requests before they reach your services;
* addresses identified as hostile are blocked, and protection is continuously adjusted.

The goal isn't to promise an impenetrable wall, but to significantly reduce the attack surface and react quickly when a threat appears.

What does this mean for you?

You don't need to manage these lists or monitor connections yourself: that's our job. On your end, good habits (strong passwords, regular updates, caution around access) usefully complement this protection.

|| A malicious request is a message sent to your site or application with the aim of attacking it rather than using it normally: exploiting a vulnerability, stealing data, hijacking a service. Spotting and blocking it before it reaches your services is part of protecting your hosting.

Reminder: what is a request?

Every time a visitor loads a page, logs in, or submits a form, their browser sends a "request" to your server, which responds. That's the normal back-and-forth of the web. A malicious request travels the same channel, but with hostile intent.

What makes a request malicious

A request is malicious when it's designed to trigger unintended behavior. The main families:
* Injections: slipping code into a field (a form, a URL) to try to manipulate your database or server.
* Cross-site scripting (XSS): inserting code that would then run in your other visitors' browsers.
* Unauthorized access: trying to reach files or areas that shouldn't be accessible.
* Exploiting known vulnerabilities: targeting a specific vulnerability in software that hasn't been updated.
* Automated abuse: hammering a login form or an API to force access or overwhelm the service.
The common thread: hijacking normal operation to extract access, data, or cause an outage.

How they're spotted

A malicious request often has an unusual shape: characters or patterns that have no business being in a legitimate field, a suspicious target, or an abnormal volume. They're identified through known attack signatures and real-time behavior analysis.
In the interest of honesty: the line isn't always clear-cut. An unusual but legitimate request can be flagged by mistake (a "false positive"). Good protection strikes a balance between blocking what's harmful and letting normal traffic through.

What Hodi does

Filtering these requests is part of the security included with your hosting:
* a web application firewall (WAF) analyzes requests and blocks those matching attack patterns, before they reach your services;
* our 24/7 monitoring watches for abnormal behavior and continuously adjusts the protection;
* security updates reduce the vulnerabilities these requests try to exploit.
Here again, the goal isn't to promise an unbeatable defense, but to significantly reduce the risk and react quickly.

What does this mean for you?

Most of the filtering happens without any action on your part. Your best complementary ally: keeping your applications and extensions up to date, since many malicious requests only target vulnerabilities that have already been patched elsewhere.

|| Malware, or malicious software, is a program designed to cause harm: damaging a system, stealing data, spying on activity, or holding files hostage. The term covers several families with different goals.

The word

"Malware" is a contraction of the English "malicious software." It's a generic term: it refers to an entire category of hostile programs, not one specific type.

The main families

• Virus: code that attaches itself to a file or legitimate program and spreads when it's run.
• Worm: spreads on its own from one machine to another, without any action needed.
• Trojan: poses as useful software to get installed, then operates behind the scenes.
• Ransomware: encrypts your files and demands a ransom to make them accessible again.
• Spyware: quietly collects information (passwords, browsing data).
  These families sometimes overlap: a single piece of malware can combine several behaviors.

How it happens

Malware rarely gets in by magic. The most common vectors: a booby-trapped attachment or link in an email, a dubious download, an unpatched software vulnerability, or an already-compromised site. That's why human caution and updates matter just as much as technical safeguards.

What Hodi does

Several layers reduce the risk and limit the damage:
* our 24/7 monitoring detects abnormal behavior on the servers;
* a web application firewall (WAF) filters out some attempts before they succeed;
* security updates close the vulnerabilities exploited by malware;
* and above all, your out-of-country backups let you restore your data in the event of an attack, without being at the mercy of the attackers.
This last point is essential: when facing ransomware, a clean, isolated backup is often the best response.

What does this mean for you?

Hosting-level protection does a lot, but your own habits complete the picture: be wary of unexpected attachments and links, use strong passwords, and keep your applications up to date. Security is a chain: we hold several links, you hold others.