🛡️ Secure your Linux VPS: SSH, Fail2ban, UFW#

Protect your server against attacks and intrusions with this comprehensive guide to secure a VPS on Linux. Perfect for web hosting, gaming, applications, or databases.

🎯 Objective#

• Strengthen SSH security
• Install an effective firewall (UFW)
• Protect against brute force attacks (Fail2ban)

🧰 Prerequisites#

• A VPS running Debian / Ubuntu
• Root or sudo access
• SSH connection

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1️⃣ System update#

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt autoremove --purge -y

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2️⃣ Secure SSH access#

🔹 Change root password#

passwd

🔹 Disable SSH root access#

⚠️ Important: Before disabling root SSH access, create a user with sudo privileges and make sure you can log in with this account. Otherwise, you may lose access to your server.

adduser myuser
usermod -aG sudo myuser

Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

PermitRootLogin no

Restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

🔹 Use SSH keys#

Generate a key on your PC:

ssh-keygen

Copy the key to the VPS:

ssh-copy-id user@vps_ip

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3️⃣ Install and configure Fail2ban#

sudo apt install fail2ban -y
sudo systemctl enable --now fail2ban

Customize /etc/fail2ban/jail.local to protect SSH and other services.

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4️⃣ Enable and configure UFW firewall#

sudo apt install ufw -y
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

To allow other services (e.g., HTTP, MySQL):

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 3306/tcp

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6️⃣ FAQ & common issues#

• Can't connect via SSH? Check UFW, Fail2ban, and SSH config from noVNC.
• Open ports? Use sudo ufw status to verify.

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✅ Conclusion#

Your VPS is now secured and ready for production. Continue monitoring and updating your server for optimal security.