Can I have several ftp log-ins?

[pdart]

Currently, all of my domains are under the same ftp log-in. They are essentially treated as subdomains of my first domain with BlueHost. Is there a way to do this differently? My site last month was hacked via one of my hobby blogs. All of my domains were shut down - including my business blog.

I know I need to maintain all of my domains - but if they were separated, at least if one was hacked all the sites wouldn't go down would they? Or would BlueHost shut down my account anyway if one domain/ftp site was hacked?

Really appreciate your input on how I might better protect each blog so all don't go down if there is a problem.

[redsox9]

Your BH account can have only one primary domain; all other domains are treated as subdomains. That is the way that it works, at least with BH (I cannot comment whether this is the norm for all shared hosting services). The only way to get around this is to have separate accounts for each domain, although this would get expensive pretty quickly.

The problem is that if the hackers can access one part of your account through vulnerabilities in one of your sites, then they would have access to all your data and potential data from other accounts on that server. So the only immediate response that BH can make is to suspend your account and ask YOU to resolve the vulnerability. As you stated, you have the responsibility to maintain ALL of your domains.

So I see two options:

1. Open a separate account for your business blog so it won't be at the mercy of your other domains.
2. Routinely check your installations, including any plug-ins associated with those installations, to ensure that you have the latest updates.

Also, if your account is suspended, immediately get in touch with BH and work with them to resolve the issue. I had mine suspended a couple of weeks ago due to a scripting error that I made in one of my files which caused an infinite looping process. Once the support staff member ID'd the problem, I knew immediately where to make the correction and my site was back online shortly after I corrected the problem.

[pdart]

OK, good to have that cleared up. I wasn't sure if it was me setting things up improperly. All my installations and themes were up-to-date, but I didn't research every single plug-in for possible security issues. I wasn't even sure how to do that! BH was very polite in their email and I responded to them that I was looking into it. I'm waiting to hear back from wewatchyourwebsite and in the meanwhile, I'm trying to educate myself more and think about how to handle this going forward. I can't afford to get hacked every month!