Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Do auto-installers have security problems?

[HostQuest]

I asked a host if they have an auto-installer like Fantastico with their packages, but he said they don't for security reasons.

Is there a risk of having auto-installers on servers?

[thedavid]

Sometimes. If it's not kept updated, a host could be allowing clients to install programs with security issues.

However, fantastico does allow you to disable specific programs, so it's a tradeoff...

[akashik]

It's a valid reason, if a little paranoid. Some software installed automatically can increase account breaches, and the nature of auto-installs will mean there will be more versions of those programs running on a server. Customers may also be less inclined to manually update those programs after they're installed creating holes as exploits are found.

The risk is fairly low on servers that are constantly maintained, but I would agree it does increase the risks somewhat.