Last Updated: July 2026
1. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE
a. This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) describes the acceptable and prohibited uses of the Cowboy Hosting VPS service (“Service”). It is incorporated by reference into and forms an integral part of the Cowboy Hosting Terms of Service (“TOS”). By using the Service, you agree to comply with this AUP. Violations may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account and may expose you to civil or criminal liability.
b. The Service is intended for lawful websites, web applications, development, testing, staging, production workloads, business operations, personal projects, and other legitimate purposes, provided such use fully complies with these Terms, this AUP, and all applicable local, state, federal, and international laws.
2. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
The following activities are strictly prohibited. This list is not exhaustive. You understand and agree that we reserve the right to determine, in in our discretion, whether any use violates this AUP.
a. Illegal Activity and Content
You may not use the Service to engage in, promote, facilitate, host, or distribute any activity or content that is illegal under applicable law, including but not limited to:
• Child sexual exploitation or abuse material (CSAM), grooming, or any related offenses.
• Terrorism, violent extremism, or incitement to violence or illegal activity.
• Fraud, phishing, social engineering, identity theft, or other financial crimes.
• Copyright infringement, trademark counterfeiting, or other intellectual property violations.
• Unauthorized access to computer systems, networks, or data (“hacking”).
• Distribution of illegal drugs, controlled substances, or related paraphernalia.
• Human trafficking, exploitation, or related crimes.
• Any other criminal activity prohibited under U.S. law or the laws of the jurisdiction(s) where you or your end-users are located.
b. Network and Platform Abuse
You may not use the Service to:
• Launch, participate in, or facilitate denial-of-service (DoS/DDoS) attacks of any kind.
• Conduct unauthorized network scanning, port scanning, vulnerability probing, or penetration testing of systems you do not own or have explicit written authorization to test.
• Interfere with, disrupt, or degrade the Service, platform performance, or other customers’ VPS instances.
• Circumvent or attempt to circumvent platform resource limits, fair use policies, or security controls.
• Operate open mail relays, open proxies, or other services that facilitate anonymous or abusive activity.
c. Email and Messaging Abuse
Outbound SMTP traffic on TCP port 25 is blocked by default across all VPS instances as a core abuse-prevention measure. You may not:
• Send, or attempt to send, unsolicited bulk email (spam), marketing messages without proper opt-in consent, or any email that violates the CAN-SPAM Act or equivalent laws.
• Operate bulk email systems, mailing lists, or newsletter services without proper consent mechanisms and honoring unsubscribe requests.
• Distribute phishing emails, spear-phishing, or other deceptive messages designed to steal credentials or sensitive information.
• Operate or facilitate open mail relays or any service allowing third parties to send email through your VPS without proper authentication.
• Attempt to bypass the port 25 block through alternative ports, tunnels, proxies, or other technical means.
d. Cryptocurrency Mining and Resource Abuse
Cryptocurrency mining, staking, or any proof-of-work / proof-of-stake activities are strictly prohibited on all VPS instances, including both free and paid tiers, unless you have received prior written authorization from Cowboy Hosting for a specific, limited, legitimate research or educational purpose. Unauthorized mining will result in immediate suspension or termination and may result in forfeiture of any prepaid fees. Sustained high resource consumption (CPU, memory, disk, or network) that degrades performance for other customers or platform stability is also prohibited.
e. Malware, Botnets, and Malicious Software
You may not host, distribute, command-and-control, or facilitate any of the following:
• Malware, viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, or other malicious code.
• Botnets, command-and-control servers, or infrastructure used to manage compromised devices.
• Credential theft tools, keyloggers, password cracking utilities, or tools intended for unauthorized access.
• Exploit kits, remote access trojans (RATs), or tools designed to facilitate unauthorized access or attacks.
• Any software or service whose primary purpose is to cause harm, steal data, or enable illegal activity.
f. Proxy, VPN, and Anonymity Service Abuse
You may not operate public, semi-public, or anonymous proxy, VPN, or tunneling services on the Cowboy platform that are intended to conceal the origin of abusive, illegal, or policy-violating traffic, including but not limited to:
• Open or anonymous proxy services.
• Public VPN or “no-logs” VPN services marketed or used primarily to evade detection or facilitate abuse.
• Services that allow third parties to route traffic through your VPS for the purpose of hiding malicious or abusive activity.
• Any anonymity or proxy service that, in our reasonable judgment, creates disproportionate abuse risk for the platform or other customers.
3. FREE TIER AND RESOURCE ABUSE PROTECTIONS
a. In addition to the general prohibitions above, the following rules apply specifically to free-tier VPS instances:
• Only one (1) free VPS is permitted per verified Customer account. Creating multiple accounts to obtain additional free instances is prohibited.
• Free instances may be suspended or terminated without prior notice for extended inactivity (no meaningful resource utilization or interactive login for 30 or more consecutive days), resource abuse, or violation of this AUP.
• Free instances are subject to stricter resource quotas and fair-use monitoring. Sustained high resource consumption that impacts platform performance or other customers will result in throttling, suspension, or termination.
• The free tier is a privilege, not a right. We reserves the right to modify, limit, or discontinue the free tier at any time.
4. ENFORCEMENT, INVESTIGATION, AND COOPERATION
a. We actively monitor the platform for abuse, security threats, and policy violations using automated systems, manual review, and customer reports. Upon suspicion or confirmation of a violation, we may take any or all of the following actions:
• Issue a warning and require corrective action within a specified timeframe.
• Temporarily suspend the VPS, specific ports/protocols, or the entire account pending investigation.
• Permanently terminate the VPS instance(s) and/or account without refund.
• Report the activity to relevant law enforcement agencies, abuse databases, or affected third parties.
• Preserve logs and data as required for legal or abuse investigation purposes.
• Fully cooperate with valid legal process and provide information as required by law.
b. We reserve the right to act immediately and without prior notice when necessary to protect the platform, other customers, third parties, or to comply with legal obligations. You waive any claim for damages arising from good-faith enforcement actions taken under this AUP.
5. REPORTING ABUSE
If you become aware of abuse, or if you are the victim of abuse that appears to originate from our network, please report it promptly to abuse@cowboyhosting.com with as much detail as possible (logs, timestamps, packet captures, source IPs, etc.). We take abuse reports seriously and will investigate and respond appropriately.
6. CHANGES TO THIS AUP
We may update this AUP from time to time to address new threats, technologies, legal requirements, or industry best practices. Material changes will be communicated as described in the TOS. Your continued use of the Service after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised AUP.