| Since VPS/VDS are basically using virtual technology to imitate the environment of a dedicated server, the same rules should apply when administrating these web hosting products. Although this may sound straight forward, I’ve seen some incompetent system administrators in my line of work that amazes me that they simply still have their jobs. So, I might quickly outline some key factors in locking down (or securing) your virtual server.
VPS Provider. Research a VPS/VDS company that has a good reputation not only for service and support but is also quite proactive in security issues. For example, do they provide security bulletins or newsletters to inform their customers?
Services. Only run services that you need and shut down those you don’t. If you have no experience in this matter, hire a system admin and them him or her to document what is needed based on your needs. In documenting the requirements, you can protect yourself if you decide to go with another system admin later on down the line and you will not lose any work.
Firewall. Firewalls (whether software or hardware based) are excellent tools to block or filter packets based on its destination, service or port. For example, if you discover a workstation is constantly scanning your network and attempting to infiltrate your system via FTP then you can setup a rule to block off the IP address.
Monitoring. Constantly monitor your logs and system processes to ensure the security and reliability of your server. If you want to take it one step further, install intrusion detection software so that the system informs you when a series of events occur on your system. There is plenty of open-source software available to choose from as well!
Hopefully the above are introductory guidelines and measures you can take to protect and optimise your server.
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