Guidelines to secure a dedicated server
If you’re an IT professional in charge of a company network or an entrepreneur looking to protect your online business, you must know how to keep a dedicated server safe. There is a lot at stake in computer security, from keeping private customer data safe to ensuring service stays up and running.
This article will discuss how to protect a dedicated server from possible breaches and weaknesses. By following best practices and staying on top of new threats, you can improve your server’s security and give yourself and your clients peace of mind.
Why is security for a dedicated server important?
Dedicated computers are yours alone, and you decide how to set them up. Having complete power over your server is one of the best things about a dedicated server, which is why they’re so popular.
That does, however, mean that you are responsible for setting up the security system for your dedicated server. This is why computer safety is essential and what you can do to keep your systems safe:
Preventing adware on your server: Adware is software used to steal information. It is usually hidden and sent along with safe programs or scripts. Once it is on your computer, it will try to get your information. To keep your hosted apps safe from malware, pick a hosting company that scans for vulnerabilities constantly and monitors the servers in real time.
Keep passwords safe: Many hackers can get into dedicated servers because the passwords are too short or weak. Randomly combining letters, numbers, and symbols in your passwords will prevent them from getting in. You should all have different passwords for the control panel, the FTP account, and your email services. In addition, it’s a good idea to change them often.
Protecting your server from software flaws: Hackers can use gaps in the software on your server to get in and take over. To avoid security breaches, you should only install software that gets updated often and make sure you run it with the most recent security fixes.
Keeping your server safe from DDoS attacks: A denial-of-service attack sends a lot of traffic and junk to your server all at once. This cyber threat could hurt people who need to be more careful, costing them time and money. If you don’t want a DDoS attack to hurt your hosted site, get a dedicated server with DDoS protection.
11 Ways to Keep Your Dedicated Server Safe
Based on the type of security breach, there are many ways to keep your dedicated server safe. Here are 11 different security steps you can take right now to keep your dedicated server safe from different threats.
1: Put in security patches and updates
One of the main weakness’s hackers uses is software that needs to be updated. Most app developers put out security patches daily that fix any security problems with their software. If you download some of these changes, someone could use a weakness you have yet to restore to their advantage. Don’t depend on services and programs that need to be updated.
Waiting even a little while to apply the latest security patch can be wrong. So, you should always make sure your software is up to date. If you don’t want to deal with loading security patches and updates all the time, consider getting a managed dedicated server.
2: Run regular scans for malware
Spyware, viruses, worms, and trojans are just a few of the things that can damage your system and steal private data. To keep your dedicated server safe, it would be helpful if you planned to do regular malware scans. As a safety measure, using antivirus software is a good idea because it can find and block harmful software before it causes any harm.
It would help if you also used malware monitors. These automated tools will check your bare-metal server for malware, protecting you from security risks.
3: Use DDoS defenses
It is possible to shut down websites or even whole computers with a distributed denial of service attack. Your server gets a quick storm of traffic that makes it buckle and crash. Most of the time, they are done to make the target business lose money. DDoS attacks make it impossible for people to use your website or web apps, so it’s very important to stop them.
The only way to prevent these attacks is with a DDoS-protected dedicated server. These servers have a built-in DDoS shield that monitors all data. If bad traffic is found, the connection requests are sent elsewhere instead of to your website. Even so, valid traffic can still go through, so your users won’t have any problems.
4: Only connect to safe networks
It would help if you logged in to your hosting account on your dedicated server only using secure connections.
It’s unsafe to use public networks, and the security of your dedicated hosting is only as strong as its weakest link. If you join an open Wi-Fi network in a hotel, your user credentials could be visible to others. So, it would help if you only used networks you could trust.
5: Change the SSH port
Many services use an SSH port; hackers know to target that particular port to break into your dedicated server’s protection. The SSH listening port is the most likely to be hacked, so hackers use software that scans hosts to find ones that still need to change the SSH port, which is set to 22 by default.
Change your SSH port right away to stop brute-force attacks. You can change it to any other port, but a port number greater than 1024 is likely the best. Port scanners usually stick to certain bands and don’t scan above 1024. This will hide your SSH port from bots and other automatic scanners.
6: Give each user their own account.
The system administrator should be the only person who can log in as root on the dedicated server. Everyone else who uses that service should have an account that only allows them to do certain things.
For instance, not everyone should be able to put in software that might be malware. The computer administrator should be the only one with these kinds of rights. Some people can only see certain things they need to do their jobs.
It is also possible for the administrator to have their own account. Some people think it’s risky to always log in with root access in case they forget to log out of the master account.
7: Make strict rules about passwords
If you have a weak password for your dedicated server, brute force attempts can get in. Use random numbers, symbols, lowercase and uppercase, and capital letters to make a strong password. Don’t use words that are easy to figure out or personal words. The same thing will happen for every other account you make. Everyone ought to have a secure password for their account.
Also, every password should be changed after a certain number of days. Hackers will need help guessing your password or breaking it in this way. Also, add two-factor security to your accounts on top of this. This will keep people from getting into your dedicated server without your permission.
8: Take good care of your database systems.
Databases are places to store valuable data. Cybercriminals are aware of this, so they go after weak systems. Ensure that SQL injections can’t get into your database to stop a hack. An SQL injection attack adds bad SQL lines to your database and can change the data there.
It would help if you made it as hard as possible for people to access your records, keeping them safe. You can do that by giving users as few rights as possible. Also, remove any files and services that aren’t being used. Smart hackers will find a way to use this against you. If you leave running features and services that you don’t need, they can reveal users and different communication links.
9: Create a copy of the information you have.
Ensure you always have a copy of your essential information, or make copies of everything. You will almost certainly lose information at some point. No matter how many security steps you put in place, it can still happen, whether it’s because of a hacker attack, a hardware failure, or a natural disaster.
But only put some of your eggs in one basket. There should be more than one backup on different kinds of media. The 3-2-1 data backup plan is the best way to back up your data. Save at least three copies of your files on two different hard drives.
You could keep one backup on a hard drive in your office and another on a safe, dedicated server. Also, you should only keep one of the files on-site. Never keep them all together. You will lose everything if all your backups are in a building that burns down.
10: Get rid of software you don’t use
Software that is not being used poses a potential security concern. It is simple to forget about and will only get security patches if you open it. This is true for services and programs you only try out once and then need to remember about. Hackers can use unused software to get into your dedicated server and steal private data. Eliminating new software is the solution to this problem.
11: Get a dedicated server that is managed.
A controlled dedicated server is the safest way to keep your dedicated server safe. Most hosting companies offer this feature.
A group of IT experts runs managed dedicated servers. They will update your software and databases, back up your data regularly, and monitor your servers for any strange activity. The hosting company handles everything regarding server protection.
Conclusion
Secure a dedicated server to protect private data and keep your online business running smoothly. Suppose you follow the tips in this piece, like using strong authentication methods, keeping your software up to date, and setting up firewalls. In that case, you can greatly lower the risk of cyberattacks and unauthorized access. Monitor your server at all times to detect strange behaviour or security holes.