Your Comprehensive Guide to Securing a Server

Misconfigured, unpatched, or otherwise poorly postured servers make hackers happy. Cybercriminals view these targets as easy pickings that can be exploited and used as launchpads for further attacks, ranging from malware distribution and data breaches to advanced persistent threats and ransomware.

While the trust and data privacy concerns of such incidents are clear, insecure servers may also impact your profit margins. In one study, 16% of the organizations surveyed experienced financial losses exceeding $1 million due to incidents involving information security.

Given the high stakes, maintaining strong server security is not just a technical imperative but also an essential business requirement.

This article seeks to educate readers on the fundamental considerations for securing a web server. We aim to bridge the chasm between IT staff and company management to aid decision-makers in better understanding the benefits and challenges involved.

The Importance of Server Security

Cybercriminals can exploit systems in numerous ways. For this section, we’ll cover the most common attacks bad actors use against servers.

Code Injection

Code injection is an attack technique where malicious code is inserted into a vulnerable server via user input fields or other data entry points. If the injected code is executed by the server, the attacker can gain access to sensitive data or even system-wide control. Common types of code injection attacks include:

• SQL Injection – Inserting malicious SQL statements into application queries
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) – Injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users
• LDAP Injection – Manipulating LDAP queries to access unauthorized information
• XML Injection – Inserting malicious XML content to interfere with application processing

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS)

A DDoS – distributed denial-of-service – attack uses botnets to deluge victims with a flood of network packets, requests, or messages. Essentially, DDoS attacks overwhelm the targeted system causing crashes or slowdowns to the point it’s unable to process legitimate traffic.

This type of cyberattack is often used to disrupt businesses and governments, knock resources offline, or as a form of protest or extortion.

Brute Force Attacks

Unlike more sophisticated methods that exploit specific vulnerabilities, a brute-force attack is akin to using a battering ram to hammer away at a system’s defenses. It’s a time-tested, highly effective technique that assists bad actors in cracking passwords, encryption keys, and other credentials through trial and error.

The effectiveness of brute-force attacks largely depends on the computational power available to the attacker and the strength of the target’s security measures. Short, weak, and default credentials are the most vulnerable. Defensive techniques such as strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, rate limiting, and account lockouts make brute-force attacks less effective.

Insider Threats

Insider threats stress the need for organizations to fully embrace zero-trust security tactics. Any employee, contractor, or vendor with web-based or physical access to your server poses a potential insider threat situation.

These can range from accidental misuse to intentional and malicious acts. For example, a system administrator might unintentionally introduce risks by sharing login details with a junior colleague to help them complete a task more quickly.

Malicious insiders, on the other hand, can be far more sinister. One such example is a rogue employee who plants surveillance software on company systems for a foreign government. Another less dramatic but still harmful example is an amoral admin who deploys crypto mining software on company servers to earn extra money.

Key Steps to Server Security

Hardening a web server requires a multi-faceted, comprehensive strategy. It’s not only about the security solutions you choose but also organizational policies, regular maintenance, and ongoing vigilance.

Here we’ll share best practices that reduce your attack surface and form the foundation of a well-postured server security strategy.

Close Admin Accounts

Admin accounts typically have unrestricted access to system resources, making them prime targets for attackers. By closing or minimizing the use of such accounts and enforcing the principle of least privilege, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of accidental or malicious actions that could compromise the server.

In practice, this involves carefully defining access control parameters like user roles, regularly reviewing permissions, and promptly removing accounts that are no longer needed.

Remove Unnecessary Services

Each service running on your server represents a potential entry point for attackers. Disabling or uninstalling any network port, program, or protocol that is not essential to the server’s primary purpose greatly reduces the number of attack vectors.

This process vastly differs when securing a Linux server versus other operating systems like Windows 10 server, however, here’s a starting point:

Patching and Update

Practically all software is chock-full of unknown bugs and vulnerabilities. Once discovered, hackers are quick to exploit these flaws for their benefit. Perhaps the most effective way to protect your server is by exercising robust patch management and regularly applying updates and patches.

Nevertheless, as the world recently learned during the global CrowdStrike IT outage in July, updates and patches should first be tested in controlled environments before being applied to mission-critical systems.

Strong Password Management/Policy

Since passwords are typically the primary method of authentication when accessing servers, poor password management policies can significantly increase an organization’s cybersecurity risks. Strong password management involves the use of complex passwords, frequent changes, and password managers like 1Password, Dashlane, and Bitwarden.

Moreover, enhanced authentication practices such as MFA, biometric verification, and hardware security keys add additional layers of protection.

Monitor Server Logs

Server logs capture information about user actions, events, access attempts, errors, and other system activities. Such a wealth of insight is useful for identifying unusual or suspicious behavior.

That said, given the enormous volume of log data the average machine generates when in use, manual monitoring is impractical. Automation is one solution. The best automated monitoring tools use machine learning and anomaly detection algorithms to continuously scrutinize logs and even initiate automated responses to certain types of threats.

Security Training

Employees with privileged access to critical servers and networks are prime targets for bad actors. Therefore, security training is nonnegotiable for these staff members.

A well-designed awareness training program equips workers with the necessary knowledge and skills to maintain healthy cyber hygiene. Training also helps employees recognize and respond to threats like phishing attacks or social engineering, which are used to deceive victims into revealing confidential information or granting unauthorized access.

In addition to formal training sessions, organizations can reinforce security awareness through simulated attack campaigns to ingrain a culture of vigilance and reporting.

Choose Server Security Services from Complete Network

Securing your server isn’t a job to be taken lightly. It requires planning and consistent attention to detail. The team of seasoned IT professionals at Complete Network possesses a proven track record helping clients manage their servers and workstations successfully.

Contact our friendly team at (844) 426-7844. We look forward to speaking with you!