5 Tips to Keep Your Server Safe

Security is important for anyone who wants to keep their online business intact. The risk of security challenges, starting with the theft of sensitive files and the destruction of your important data, increases. Experts estimate that the damage from cybercrime will reach $ 6 trillion next year.

Under such circumstances, it is natural that everyone would like to implement all possible strategies to stay safe. Here are some tips on how to protect your Server:

Keep backups

There are two categories of people: those who make backups from the beginning and those who do it in a bad way. Do not be one of the second category. So set up automatic backups so you can recover important data in case of an emergency. Be sure to save them remotely, otherwise if something goes wrong with your current server, your data may be lost. Using remote file server solutions, such as Triofox, will cover you.

Protect SSH

This is more relevant for those using a Linux server, as using SSH is more common on Unix-based systems. First, change port 22 to a custom one, as most attacks target the default ports (speaking of ports, it is also worth turning off all unused ports, as they can be used to expose your network). Make sure you replace the login with a password for SSH keys using a passphrase, as it is harder to guess and therefore more secure. Then create a custom user with sudo privileges and disable root. Root has the highest access, and if it is compromised, your server is completely exposed.

Use SSL

SSL helps to create an encrypted channel for the exchange of information between the client browser and a server to prevent intrusion and theft of passwords, credit card information and other sensitive information that is transmitted. Thus, installing an SSL on your site ensures a secure connection.

Set up Server monitoring

Keeping track of your server logs, which are created by basic services and software installed on the server, ensures that you are in control of everything that happens. This way you can identify any troublesome logs, abnormal activity and user traffic and resolve issues before they become critical.

Protection against malicious attacks

In an effort to protect your server from malicious attacks, it is worth protecting yourself with a firewall to filter incoming traffic and block suspicious requests. The next step is to monitor the files uploaded to the server with a reliable anti-virus software that will quarantine the unwanted files in time. Another threat comes with attacks where intruders use different combinations of passwords to enter. Unfortunately, these attacks are often successful, so using solutions like CSF (for Linux) or BFGuard (for Windows) can help you fight these attacks by blocking IP addresses after a certain amount of failed login attempts.

Another popular attack is DDoS which aims to overload a request server in order to drop it. Unfortunately, there is no 100% way to protect against them, as traffic is generated by multiple networks at once, but reducing the rate of incoming requests and using protection solutions (such as Imperva or CloudFlare) can help you mitigate them faster.

Applying these tips will help you ensure a better level of protection for your server, however, it is not a panacea and a one-time solution. Maintaining a server requires constant attention, timely software updates, and regular security checks.

Certainly, some technical skills are required to apply these tips and you may need to hire a system administrator to get everything right. But these investments are justified, as they give you the peace of mind to manage your server smoothly.