FTC Staff Find Web Hosts Put Small Business at Phishing Risk

Many web hosting companies that cater to small businesses don't offer proper access to email authentication and anti-phishing technologies, putting small businesses at risk of facilitating phishing, FTC staff reported. Staff surveyed 11 web-hosting companies. Two used domain-based message authentication, a technology to reject phony emails with domain-authentication discrepancies, and three provide a way for configuring that. Small businesses should “pay close attention to the security features offered by web hosts so that they can choose a host that will protect their websites and email accounts with SSL/TLS and email authentication technologies.” The agency didn't identify the companies.