Important Steps to Secure your Dedicated Server
Most of the business websites have their own dedicated servers but they are completely unknown about security. Generally, they leave it up to the hosting provider from where they have purchased Dedicated server or hired. It’s OK if you have hired a server from Fully managed server provider however, if your server is unman aged then make sure that you have these 10 items covered which are as follows:-
1) Use a Firewall
Before taking your server online you should make sure that your server has a firewall on all the time. A hardware or software firewall can stop both incoming and outgoing attacks even when you are not aware of it. We recommend using CSF/APF on Linux Dedicated servers or Windows default firewall on Windows Servers. These are software firewalls so there’s no additional charges like a hardware firewall. For very busy website a hardware firewall is recommended so it takes the burden of your Dedicated server CPU/RAM and resources to do the work. You should know what ports are open and why, try to learn how to block and unblock an IP. All these are basic things you should understand in the daily security of your Dedicated server. If someone from an IP begins a brute force attack you want to know how to stop them, right away. Installing APF Firewall, Preventing Brute Force Attacks.
2)Keep regular update of Kernel and Operating System
You should always use the current and updated Operating system or softwares. Try to use the most stable version which has been tested many other people. An old Kernel can lead to an easy target for your server. If you’re not sure about kernel update then you can ask your provider for the latest update.
3) Monitor the Logs of your Dedicated server
LogWatch is a great tool to email you the daily reports of your systems activity of anything it determines unusual, example constant failed logins. Besides this you should check your logs manually to see what’s up. Tail –f /var/log/messages and view your Apache logs as well. Apache Log Files Explained
4) Backups
Many people do not backs up their data which is not at all good for your business website. You can configure backup on remote server with the help of your hosting provider.
5) Limit Access to a Minimum
You should give access to limited people and avoid to give SSH access to any other user.
6)You Should Lock down PHP and use Mod_Security with Apache
PHP is usually a large security risk but there are a few things to do to help lock it down. CGI has Suexec,which helps runs proccesess as the user and PHP has something similar called PHPSuexec but there are a few downfalls. You should also use open_base directory protection, have safe_mode on system wide, turn off register_globals, enable_dl and allow_url_open to help lock things down further. You can also use server wide protection with mod_security, a web server filter that can watch all requests to see if they match a rule and react by logging, denying the request or other programs.
7) Lock /tmp /var/tmp and /dev/shm partitions
On Linux each partition can have certain access restrictions. Since /tmp /var/tmp and /dev/shm are world writable directories they’re often home to uploads, sessions storage and hacker executable. Since anyone can read-write-excute anything from these directories it becomes a major security concern. With /etc/fstab however you can limit what can be done in these locations.
8) IDS-Intrusion Detection System
An intrusion detection system or IDS is like a burglar alarm on your server. It keeps a record of which files were changed when and alerts you of anything new or altered. This is critical because hackers usually try to replace binary applications like ps, top, netstat and others. This means when you run this new version of ps or top to see processes running they make it so it actually HIDES their hacker software, even though its running it won’t show up. Some IDS systems include TripWire, Snort and AIDE. Installing Chkrootkit
9) Review Processes Running and Remove Extra Software
You can’t protect a system if you don’t know what’s on it. If a hacker adds an extra process that you see in PS but you wouldn’t notice if you didn’t know what should be there usually. Know what runs on your system and why which user. How does Perl or Apache run, under which user? You can check your processes usually with top or ps auxfww which gives you a tree view. Check these every time you login to your server. Getting started with Shell (SSH) , Common Shell Commands
10) Keep an Eye on the Servers Performance
You should always know at what speed your server is running at and how much bandwidth it uses on a daily basis.
There are many other things you can and should do to ensure your server is secure but these are a few basics that everyone should use.
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Author Bio : Dave is an enthusiast SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) Professional. He likes to share quality information on Web Hosting technologies and techniques in addition to SEO and SEM. He also likes to read and write about Affordable Web Hosting,UK Dedicated Servers, Dedicated Hosting and cPanel Hosting solutions.
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