Control Panels & Secure Access

Learning objectives

• Work with hosting control panels
• Use secure file transfer and SSH
• Rotate credentials safely

Control panels

Control panels like cPanel and Plesk provide a web interface for managing domains, databases, mailboxes, and files. They make routine administration fast and auditable.

Secure access

Upload files over SFTP/FTPS rather than plain FTP, which sends credentials in clear text. For deeper work, use SSH with key-based authentication and disable password login.

# Generate a key pair locally (never share the private key)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519

Credential hygiene

• Use unique passwords for every account.
• Rotate credentials whenever staff leave or a breach is suspected.
• Keep recovery contact details current.

Key takeaways

• Control panels centralize day-to-day hosting administration.
• Always transfer and administer over encrypted channels.
• Credential hygiene prevents the majority of account takeovers.