The 15-Minute Guide to Secure VPS Access (for the Paranoid)

WARNING: I forgot to mention that you should enable TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION, which most VPS providers support these days.

A quick guide to securing a server when you're kinda a noob, but also kinda paranoid.

Possibly Prerequisite Material: • vim for vim haters: http://bit.ly/vim-for-vim-haters • How to setup a Digital Ocean VPS: https://youtu.be/ypjzi1axH2A

Article: https://coolaj86.com/articles/securing-your-vps-for-the-semi-paranoid.html

Overview: • ssh key access from the get-go (a la Digital Ocean) • At-A-Glance visual key verification (with RSA RandomArt) • automatically ban botnets (with fail2ban) • disallow direct root access • disallow password access • change ssh port • passphrase protected key access • disable keyring caching (turn off ssh-agent) • install system updates • enable firewall (and ssh access) • check for rogue services ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZzhIIJmlE0