Server Guide

Essential Server Hardening: The First 5 Steps After Launching a New VPS

Published on October 05, 2025

Congratulations on launching your new VPS! However, your work is just beginning. A fresh server is like a new house without locks - it needs immediate security measures to protect against threats. The first few hours after deployment are critical for establishing a secure foundation.

This guide covers five essential security steps you must take immediately after launching any new VPS. These steps form the foundation of server security and should be completed before installing any applications or services.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, following these steps will significantly improve your server's security posture and protect your data from common attack vectors.

Update Your System

The first and most crucial step is ensuring your system has the latest security patches and updates.

Why it's important:

• Fresh server images may contain outdated packages with known vulnerabilities
• Security patches fix critical exploits that attackers actively target
• Updated systems have better performance and stability
• Some software installations require up-to-date dependencies

For Ubuntu/Debian systems:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

For CentOS/RHEL systems:

sudo dnf update -y

Always reboot after major kernel updates to ensure changes take effect.

Create a Non-Root User

Running everything as root is dangerous. Create a dedicated user account with sudo privileges for daily operations.

Why avoid root:

• Root has unlimited system access - a mistake can destroy your server
• Many attacks specifically target the root account
• Sudo provides an audit trail of administrative actions
• It's a fundamental security best practice

Steps to create a secure user:

1. Create a new user account

sudo adduser yourusername

2. Add the user to the sudo group

sudo usermod -aG sudo yourusername

3. Test sudo access

su - yourusername

sudo whoami

Configure SSH Security

SSH is your primary access method to the server. Securing it properly is essential to prevent unauthorized access.

SSH security importance:

• SSH is constantly targeted by automated attacks
• Default configurations are often insecure
• Brute force attacks attempt to crack weak passwords
• Compromised SSH access means full server control

Essential SSH security settings:

Disable root login via SSH
Change the default SSH port (22) to something else
Disable password authentication (use keys only)
Set up fail2ban to block repeated failed login attempts
Configure SSH key-based authentication

Always test SSH changes in a separate session before closing your current connection!

Set Up a Firewall

A properly configured firewall acts as your first line of defense against network-based attacks.

Firewall necessity:

• Blocks unauthorized access to services and ports
• Reduces attack surface by hiding unused services
• Provides logging of connection attempts
• Essential for compliance and security standards

Basic firewall rules:

Allow SSH (your custom port if changed)
Allow HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443) if running web services
Block all other incoming connections by default
Allow all outgoing connections
Log dropped connections for monitoring

sudo ufw enable

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp

sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

sudo ufw status

Install Security Monitoring

Set up basic monitoring and logging to detect and respond to security incidents.

Monitoring importance:

• Early detection of security breaches or attempts
• Helps identify performance issues and resource usage
• Provides forensic data for incident analysis
• Required for maintaining security compliance

Essential monitoring tools:

Configure system logging (rsyslog/journald)
Set up log rotation to prevent disk space issues
Install fail2ban for automated threat response
Consider tools like AIDE for file integrity monitoring
Set up basic alerting for critical events

sudo apt install fail2ban -y

sudo systemctl enable fail2ban

sudo systemctl start fail2ban

Next Steps

These five steps provide a solid security foundation for your VPS. However, security is an ongoing process, not a one-time setup. Consider implementing additional measures like regular security audits, automated backup systems, and keeping up with security best practices as your server grows.

Remember: Security is not a destination, it's a journey. Regular maintenance and staying informed about new threats are just as important as initial hardening.