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Daily Checks
| Posted by lilrichieh, 11-07-2011, 12:55 PM |
| Hello,
I have finally taken the plunge and got myself a dedicated server to learn linux etc.
What would you suggest i do in order to perform daily checks to make sure the server is free from problems? Currently i have followed some guides, changed the SSH port and had the server 'hardened' by a outsourced company.
I am running Ubuntu 10.10 with Direct Admin control panel, BFD is installed on the machine, this emails me every now and again to say that their have been some attempts to login how would i go about blocking them attempts?
Should i install some Rootkit checks? Are their areas that i should make sure are secure.
Any advice, links or resources to gather some more information on this would be highly appreciated.
Kindest
Richard
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| Posted by huck, 11-07-2011, 01:01 PM |
| On my top 3 list are:
- use secure passwords/ssh keys
- update OS software
- update web/control panel software
We deal with security issues weekly. The majority of issue still arise from outdated software and poor passwords.
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| Posted by lilrichieh, 11-07-2011, 01:07 PM |
| Huck,
- use secure passwords/ssh keys
Great, i am going to update my passwords asap not sure how to go about SSH keys so this may need looking into.
- update OS software
How often do you update your OS? I take it you would run an safe-update command to do this? But how frequiently
- update web/control panel software
Again same as above, do you usually do this as and when it is released or sooner, later?
~ Rich
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| Posted by SolidJoe, 11-07-2011, 01:19 PM |
| You're already starting out behind. You're OS is old. If it's possible to return it, I would try and get your money back and install Linux on a local machine - or in Virtualbox, or some other virtualized solution learn it on. It shouldn't be on the internet if you don't know what you're doing. It's like driving a car without a license.
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| Posted by twikamltd, 11-07-2011, 03:56 PM |
| That's a bit extreme, he's had it hardened, it's running BFD, Directadmin taking care of the admin tasks, which is more than I can say for some I've seen...
@ OP: I'd switch to CSF+LFD if you can, it's better IMO. Assuming your admin company has done a good job, just keep the OS up to date, and 3rd party software as and when it's released and you shouldn't have too many problems. DirectAdmin updates itself IIRC.
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| Posted by SolidJoe, 11-07-2011, 05:38 PM |
| Bit extreme to be running an OS that was released in 2010-04-29? Unless there's a reason 11.04 or 11.10 isn't being used, I don't see why this isn't a sign of more bad things to come. Nothing is wrong with learning, in fact I encourage it, just not on a live network link. That's what virtualization is for.
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| Posted by fshagan, 11-08-2011, 11:45 AM |
| If DirectAdmin is anything like cPanel, it determines the most stable version of the OS to employ, and will update as necessary. You have to remember there is more than the OS running; there is a web server, PHP, MySQL and other scripts that have to be compatible. For this reason, all updates should be only to what the control panel currently supports.
I'm partial to RHEL / CentOS myself, because most web servers use it. That's a two-edged sword; while you do get more readily available information about configuration and security, you also are a bigger target.
CSF / LFD are a great addition; I don't know if DirectAdmin has an easy to use GUI plugin for it. If it doesn't, you can install WebMin and use it for the UI. CSF includes a security scan that gives specific instructions.
I also added ConfigServer's CXS, a one-time $50 purchase, that scans every file each night for javascript, viruses, etc.
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| Posted by reflexiv, 11-08-2011, 06:02 PM |
| Ubuntu 10.10 will continue to get security updates for a while. If you are going to run Ubuntu as a server though it's probably best to get a LTS (long term support) release. I also agree it might be better to play with a local install. Of course this depends on your use. For me, just messing around trying to customize my local install, following how-to's, etc. was how I taught myself. Using it everyday played a large factor.
Fail2ban works well for blocking brute force attempts. Periodically scanning with rkhunter or other related tool will not hurt. Of course what others said about strong passwords and updates is important. If you really want to get into security checkout Snort.
Last edited by reflexiv; 11-08-2011 at 06:05 PM.
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