You’ve bought a world-class hosting service.
Unfortunately, now you need to consider VPS security.
However, don’t be too alarmed, it’s not as difficult as you’d think.
Additionally, as we discuss in point 1, choosing your hosting provider carefully is one of these.
Alongside this, we discuss a host of other tips and tricks to help you secure your VPS.
What’s more, we’ve added simple command-line codes that you can copy and paste to get things active.
Of course, this does mean that we’ve focused on Linux VPS’, however, much of this advice hold true for other operating systems too.
1. Choose Your Hosting Provider Carefully
The most important part of VPS security is actually about choosing your hosting provider. There are a lot of hosting providers that care less about you, and more about their bottom line.
2. Secure your SSH Login
SSH is the way you can log in to your server from your computer. Therefore it’s extremely important to secure this. Luckily securing your SSH login is easy and you just need to type in a few command lines once logged in.
3. Choose Dedicated Server Hosting
For most companies shared hosting is good because it’s cheap and provides a good level of security. However, at the end of the day, you are sharing resources with other people. This does open you up to some minimal threats.
4. Keep Your Operating System Up to Date
Operating systems are complex and ever-evolving. This means that they nearly always have a weak point. Of course, OS makers are constantly keeping track of this and patch these weak points. However, these patches will only reach you if you constantly update your operating system.
5. Keep Software Updated
As with your operating system, your software can also have weak points. Therefore, keeping your software updated will also help secure your VPS
6. Monitor Logs
If you enable logging on your VPS you can see the traffic and activity happening on it. Once you’re able to analyze this, you’re able to notice if there are any discrepancies and activity that shouldn’t be happening.
7. Disabled Unused Ports
Hackers often try to break into servers. One of the simplest ways of thwarting them is by limiting their attack platform. By disabling your unused ports they are limited to the attack methods that they can try.
8. Use Strong Passwords
Password leaks are constantly in the news. Don’t become a statistic and use strong password. However, not just for your VPS but for everything. Luckily, password managers are now abundant and you have plenty of choices to choose from.
9. Full VPS Security & Protection
Alongside all of the above, depending on your hosting provider, setting up a fully rounded VPS security system is also important. This includes anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-rootkit, and even firewall rules. All of these can be set up with a few simple command lines and rules.
10. Use a CDN
A Content Delivery Network not only helps you speed up your service but also providers an additional layer of security. One of the most important security features a CDN provides is DDoS protection. Choosing the perfect CDN can help avoid a lot of headaches.
11. Have Backups
Lastly, always, always have backups. Having a good backup strategy in place means that even if things go haywire you’ll have something to fall back on.
Frequently Asked Questions
VPS server security is a complicated topic. In this article, we’ve introduced you to some basic steps and hopefully, this will allow you to give you VPS an extra level of protection. However, if you’re running extremely sensitive or private information on the VPS then we’d recommend hiring an expert to help you out.
What is VPS security?
VPS Security is the act of keeping your VPS secure as well as the information housed on it. This is a complicated topic but this guide underlines the basics of getting your VPS more secure.
How secure is a VPS?
No two VPS are the same. Much of a VPS’ security comes down to your hosting provider and the steps they take. Of course, there are a lot of additional steps you can take to secure your server, some of which we’ve covered in this guide.
Do I need a Firewall for my VPS?
Yes, you should use a Firewall for your VPS. However, in most cases, your hosting provider will set one up automatically or has one that protects their whole network. Therefore, discuss with your hosting provider to see what their security measures are and what issues they may have missed.
Virtual Private Server Security Recap
So there you have, everything you need to get your VPS security to a new level.