Top 10 Ways To Secure A Dedicated Server

Security is always the top priority of an individual or an organization when hosting websites or applications. The pandemic led to the increase in digitization with the increase in cybersecurity breaches.

Many organizations these days look for dedicated servers for hosting business-critical data. While hosting your data on the dedicated server has many benefits like robust infrastructure, exuberant support, limitless bandwidth, etc., it also has a few drawbacks.

Every year, there are more cyber-attacks, and each data breach, on average, costs almost close to $4 million. Security for dedicated servers has never been more essential than it is now.

Why Is Security of Dedicated Servers Important?

One of the many advantages of dedicated servers, and the reason they are so well-liked, is that you have total control over your server.

It is essential to ensure that the web hosting company provides complete security for your dedicated server.

Here are some reasons why server security is so critical and what you can do to ensure it:

Preventing malware on your server
Preventing password leaks
Defending your server from software defects
Preventing DDoS attacks
Prevention from all the cyber security attacks

Here Are10 Ways to Keep Your Dedicated Server Secure

1. Perform Routine Malware Scan

Various viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware software can harm your system and steal private data. Your dedicated server should be regularly scanned for malware to avoid security breaches. Anti-virus software may identify and isolate malicious software before it causes harm; this is an effective preventative strategy.

Additionally, use malware scanners. By checking your bare metal server for all kinds of malware, these automated solutions will defend you against security risks.

2. Install Security Patches and Updates

One of the most common weaknesses hackers take advantage of is outdated software. Most app developers regularly deploy security updates that address any faults in the safety of their programs. If you don’t download some of these fixes, someone might exploit a vulnerability that is left unpatched. Never rely on services or programs that are out of date.

It can be harmful to postpone updating to the most recent security patch. You should, therefore, regularly check for software upgrades. When you opt for a managed dedicated server, the web host takes care of applying the security patches.

3. Use Secure Networks/ VPN

Use only secure networks or VPNs to log into your hosting account while connecting to your dedicated server.

Public networks are unsafe, and the security of your dedicated hosting account depends on how strong the network’s link is. If you use an open Wi-Fi network, your login information might be compromised. You should, therefore, only use reputable networks.

Use a VPN connection if you are using the internet to reach a dedicated server. Virtual private networks (VPNs) encrypt the data you transfer, protecting it from being blocked and used to access the system by hackers. This is a crucial aspect to consider if you use an open, public Wi-Fi network to access the internet.

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4. Employ DDoS Protection

Websites or entire servers can be taken down using a distributed denial of service assault. Your server receives an unexpected influx of traffic, causing it to give way and crash eventually. They frequently have the purpose of causing the targeted business to suffer financial loss. It’s critical to prevent DDoS assaults since they render your website or web apps inaccessible to users.

Choosing a DDoS protected dedicated server is the only option to defend against these attacks. These servers include built-in DDoS protection that will keep an eye on all incoming traffic. Connection requests are redirected away from your server when malicious traffic is found. Additionally, valid traffic is allowed to proceed, ensuring that your users won’t encounter any interruptions.

5. Have A Strict Password Policy

Your dedicated server is more susceptible to brute force attacks if you use a weak password. To construct a strong password, you should use uppercase and lowercase characters, random numbers, and symbols. Avoid using personal or words that are simple to guess as your password. Each user must have a strong password.

It would help if you changed all passwords regularly as it eliminates the possibility of hackers brute-forcing your password or breaking into your account. Consider enhancing your accounts with two-factor authentication in addition to this security step. Your dedicated server will be protected from unauthorized access in this manner.

6. Protect Database From SQL Injections

SQL injections target the server’s databases, which contain crucial data. Any information in the database, whether personal or business-related, could be stolen if hackers gain access to it. Remove unused services and easily exploitable files from the database to reduce risk.

7. Modify The Default SSH Port Number

Hackers are aware of both default usernames and the default SSH listening port, which is 22. Cybercriminals employ bots to look for servers that are using this port, and if they do, they will use that to launch a brute force attack. Change the default port as soon as possible, ideally to a number higher than 1024 that most scanners cannot detect, to keep your server secure.

8. Data Backup

Always back up your vital files, or all the business-critical data, as you may experience data loss at any point. No matter how many security precautions you put in place, something can still go wrong—because of a hacker assault, hardware failure, or a natural disaster.

Multiple backups on various media should be present. The 3-2-1 data backup technique is the greatest backup procedure you can use. A minimum of three backups should be created and stored on two distinct storage media.

9. Specify User’s Account Permissions

Only those who need root access should be allowed access to the server. Everyone else should have a personal account with access capabilities related to the kind of control you allow them to have on the server.

Using this approach, hackers can only access parts of the system that employees have access to if their login information is compromised. As a result, any damage can be minimized.

10. Remove Unused Software

A vulnerability is an unutilized software. It’s simple to overlook, and it won’t get security upgrades if you don’t open it. There may be some applications and services that you might have installed and used only once. Hackers may exploit the unused software on your dedicated server to access private data. Reducing unnecessary software is one of the easiest ways to keep your data safe.

Over to you

Dedicated hosting requires additional security layers to safeguard the hosting server like any other web hosting service. These additional safeguards assist in protecting the website, the reputation of the business, and the information about the customers. But with a reliable host, maintaining the security of a dedicated server becomes effortless.