If my website gets hacked and the hacker(s) put malware on my links...

[Ccholic]

I am thinking about making a website on a VPS. I've read on internet that if someone hacks my website and puts a malware into links or if he steals personal information(including passwords), not only hacker but the owner of the website is responsible too and a lawsuit may be opened against him/them and may pay big fines.

If this is true then I really don't understand how so many people create websites and taking this risk.There may be no lawyer in this forum but I am asking to other people too, to webdevelopers(or people who want to be a webdeveloper) or people who have a website if they know about the laws/policies related to this and how they take the risk.

[rproffitt]

Let's cover a few items.

1. Passwords. If you store passwords in the old bad way of plain text then you deserve the grief and trouble. This area is well discussed and there is no longer any excuse to leak passwords.
2. URLs. Since you don't control what's on other sites and this may vary by country you are not liable UNLESS you are a site about illegal activities which is on its own a quagmire since what is legal here may be illegal in another country.
3. If you live in fear over all this, why would you create such a site?

[Ccholic]

Thanks for your answer.

If you live in fear over all this, why would you create such a site?

Actually I was not aware of that I might be hold responsible for hackers' activity/data leakage on my website when I first decided to make a website, now still I want to create a website but want to be sure that it will not put me in trouble.

[rproffitt]

I don't see how you can avoid any possibility of trouble. You could reveal more or decide not to write Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself or "Free Hong Kong." Now that I've written this you can too?