VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Secure your Server

Securing your VPS or Dedicated server is vital to maintaining data integrity and confidentiality. It is an essential security check on the access process. It limits access by setting up firewalls, brute-force protection, secure connections via SSH and SFTP, and malware checking. In addition, all these best practices firmly secure your server from unauthorized access.

In this article, we'll discuss:

• Use a Firewall to Limit Access
• Brute Force Protection
• Connecting Securely
• Using Trustworthy Software
• Regularly Check for Malware
• Summary

Use a Firewall to Limit Access

Firewalls shield software on your server that could otherwise be vulnerable to external access. They also allow you to limit the type of traffic, ports, and IP addresses to communicate with your server.

IPTables

Dedicated and VPS servers come with IP Tables. To learn more about IP tables, please see Manage Ports On Dedicated Or VPS Servers.

Other Firewalls

Besides IP Tables, there are other firewalls you can use on your server:

• UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall)
• NFTables
• CSF- (ConfigServer Security & Firewall) To learn more about CSF setup, please see VPS & Dedicated Hosting: ConfigServer Security & Firewall

Brute Force Protection

Certain services need to be available over the Internet to connect to your server. You still need to secure these access points in these situations. A "Brute Force Attack" is a popular kind of attack in which the attacker tries to access your server by guessing the login and password. The attacker typically has techniques and computers that can make fast guesses and, with enough time, correctly identify a functional username and password.

One technique for protecting against these kinds of attacks is monitoring login attempts with a system. If the number of failed attempts quickly reaches its limit, that IP address is blocked. 

cPHulk

cPHulk is available on Dedicated and VPS servers. To find out how to configure it, please read cPHulk Brute Force Protection.

Connecting Securely

It is vital to secure the connection when you connect to your server. Data theft is more likely to occur from insecure connections if someone were to watch them.

SSH

Using keys rather than the more conventional username and password is brilliant when connecting using SSH. See Generating a Public/Private Key. 

SFTP

Instead of using standard FTP to create FTP connections, utilize SFTP. FTP setup using Secure FTP elaborates on how to use SFTP. 

Using Trustworthy Software

A key security component is ensuring you only install trustworthy software on your server. Software from the distribution repositories that your server is already set up to use has been vetted and seen as reliable. Be careful when installing third-party software from untrusted services; you may unknowingly install malware.

Updates

You should maintain your software updates. The longer you stay with out-of-date software, the more likely known vulnerabilities will be exploited.

Regularly Check for Malware

Even with strong security measures, your server can still be compromised. Even when everything on a server appears to operate smoothly, a careful administrator will frequently check for malware. For additional information about malware scanning, please see Antivirus on Dedicated or VPS servers.

Summary

Securing your VPS or Dedicated Server is multi-layered, which involves limiting access via firewalls, brute force protection, secure connection, trusted software, and malware scans. Implementing all of these security measures can be a great way to keep your server safe from possible threats and ensure a solid, secure hosting environment.