There is a need to secure the web server because there is always an external threat to the security and safety of intellectual property, which is the very heart of any business.

Possible threats to security


The possible threats to security while buying or selling on the web are as follows:



Fraud
Internet Fraud may also be defined as the deliberate intention and attempts to corrupt or alter legitimate data and information. This type of threat may include credit card fraud, business or theft fraud.

Hacking
Hacking may be defined as unauthorised access to a computer system. Many hackers carry out this illegal act for different reasons; it may be for pleasure, challenge or for financial theft. Hacking may also be carried out for business-related gain. The threat of security from a hacker and the extent to which the hacker may go depends on the motive.

Malicious or Criminal Damage
Security is threatened when there are likely attempts by hackers, employees or anyone to intentionally damage or destroy stored information

Information theft: Commercial espionage
Commercial espionage may be defined as the theft of trade secrets, intellectual property, commercial or technological information, or confidential information. This is the deliberate stealing of commercially sensitive data by competitors, by computer crackers or hackers for illegal use.

Attack by viruses
Computer viruses are programs or written codes that infect a computer and subsequently corrupt the whole system. Because of their viral nature, they are able to transfer from one computer to the other through emails, software programs and so on. Examples of viruses are email viruses, worms, and Trojan horse. Some of these viruses may completely erase a hard drive. A major threat may be the worms, which uses computer networks and security wholes to replicate it self.