cPanel
cPanel
Your ISP won't influence any hacking efforts. As soon as you connect a server online, it becomes a target for automated intrusion attempts. In the past 24 hours, one of my least-traffic servers recorded:
- 392 SSH brute force tries
- 336 connections that failed preauthentication
- 52 attempts to reach /phpmyadmin
- 11 hits on /webadmin
- A few tries at /admin, /dbadmin, /myadmin, /mysql, plus other random admin paths
- 27 attempts exploiting mod_proxy – a common daily occurrence across all my servers
You'll also frequently see many probes for WordPress vulnerabilities, even though I don’t run WordPress anywhere on my machines. Bots scan for /wp-admin and /wp-login.php, among other things.
Irrespective of whether you host locally or use a VPS, it’s standard practice to secure your setup and keep it monitored. The only exception is shared hosting services like DreamHost, where responsibility shifts to the provider.
Regarding running a server at home… it’s not advisable unless you have no other plans. Without backups, generators, redundant storage, backup servers, robust networking, DDoS protection, and similar safeguards, you can’t match the reliability of a data center. You might consider a VPS from providers like Linode for around $10/month, but it’s not practical for personal use.
As for cPanel, there are many free alternatives available.