How to Secure Your Linux Server: Essential Checklist

Follow this checklist to harden your Breeze against common threats.

1. Update Everything

apt update && apt upgrade -y

2. Create a Non-Root User

adduser admin
usermod -aG sudo admin

3. Configure SSH Security

Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no
PubkeyAuthentication yes
MaxAuthTries 3

systemctl restart sshd

4. Set Up a Firewall

ufw default deny incoming
ufw default allow outgoing
ufw allow ssh
ufw allow http
ufw allow https
ufw enable

5. Install Fail2Ban

apt install fail2ban -y
systemctl enable fail2ban

6. Enable Automatic Security Updates

apt install unattended-upgrades -y

7. Disable Unused Services

systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled
systemctl disable SERVICE_NAME