Best Practice: Enhance your Linux server security with command line tools

In today’s digital era, information security has become a global issue. For businesses and individuals, protecting the security of servers is particularly important. As a popular operating system, Linux is widely used on many servers. This article will introduce some best practices for enhancing the security of your Linux server through command line tools.

1. Use a firewall
Installing and configuring a firewall is a key step in protecting server security. Linux servers provide a powerful and highly configurable firewall tool - iptables. By using iptables, you can restrict network connections to and from your server. Rules can be configured to only allow connections from specific IP addresses or IP ranges, or only allow connections on specific ports. Properly configured firewalls can greatly reduce the risk of malicious attacks on your server.

2. Regularly update the system
It is very important to update the software and operating system on your Linux server in a timely manner. Updates fix known security vulnerabilities and enhance system stability. Update your system by running the following commands: sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade (if you are using Debian or Ubuntu). Note that even with the latest versions of Linux distributions, you need to make sure to keep your system secure by updating packages.

3. Disable unnecessary services
Disabling unnecessary services can reduce the risk of server attacks. Linux servers install some uncommon services and applications by default. You can list all running services by running the following command: sudo systemctl list-unit-files --type=service. Once you determine which services are unnecessary, you can disable them using the command sudo systemctl disable [service-name].

4. Use strong passwords and user management
Using strong passwords is an important measure to protect server accounts. Make sure the password contains uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters, and is no less than 8 characters long. In addition, it is also very important to promptly disable or delete user accounts that are no longer needed. Delete the user account by running the command sudo deluser [user-name] and lock the user account using sudo passwd -l [user-name].

5. Set SSH access restrictions
SSH (Secure Shell) is an encryption protocol used to log in to the server securely in a remote connection. By configuring SSH access control, you can limit SSH connections to only those from specific IP addresses or IP ranges. To modify the SSH configuration file, run the command sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config and modify the following parameters accordingly: PermitRootLogin, PasswordAuthentication, and AllowUsers. After the modification is completed, save and restart the SSH service.

6. Enable log auditing
Enabling log auditing can help you discover and track potential security issues. There are several logging tools to choose from on Linux servers, such as rsyslog and syslog-ng. When configuring log auditing, you can choose to save different types of logs, such as system logs, security logs, and application logs. Make sure to keep these logs in a safe location and check them regularly for unusual activity.

7. Enable binary logs
Enabling binary logs can help you track and audit database operations on the server. For some common databases, such as MySQL and PostgreSQL, you can enable binary logging by editing the configuration file. Enabling binary logging captures all database operations, including inserting, updating, and deleting records. This is very helpful for monitoring and diagnosing problems with the database.

In short, by using command line tools, you can enhance the security of your Linux server. The best practices mentioned above are just some basic security measures. You can further strengthen the security of the server according to your own needs and specific circumstances. Remember, keeping your system updated, configuring strong passwords, regular audits, and monitoring logs are key steps to ensuring your server is secure. To protect your data and business, don't overlook the importance of server security.

The above is the detailed content of Best Practice: Enhance your Linux server security with command line tools. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!