VPS Hardening Checklist

August 09, 2025 • 3 months ago

From the Vps

Remove login with password and disable root login as well
Move ssh port to somewhere else to prevent invalid connections
Run endlessh on port 22 so that whoever tries to connect get sent to the tarpit
Install unattended-upgrades to automatically update packages and avoid potential exploits.
Install ufw (uncomplicated firewall) to avoid exposing ports, (write up) by default it denies all incoming request and allow all outgoing requests, we need to allow the following ports: - The new SSH port: sudo ufw allow <ssh-port>/tcp - HTTP & HTTPS ports: sudo ufw allow http & sudo ufw allow https
when running a docker container that needs to expose ports make sure to expose it only to the host
Install nginx to reverse proxy incoming requests