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Linux Hardening
Secure Linux servers following CIS benchmarks and security best practices.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Hardening production servers
- Meeting compliance requirements
- Implementing security baselines
- Configuring secure SSH access
SSH Hardening
bash
# /etc/ssh/sshd_config
PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no
PubkeyAuthentication yes
MaxAuthTries 3
ClientAliveInterval 300
ClientAliveCountMax 2
AllowUsers deploy admin
Protocol 2User Security
bash
# Password policy
sudo apt install libpam-pwquality
# /etc/security/pwquality.conf
minlen = 14
dcredit = -1
ucredit = -1
ocredit = -1
lcredit = -1
# Lock inactive accounts
useradd -D -f 30
# Audit sudo usage
echo "Defaults logfile=/var/log/sudo.log" >> /etc/sudoersFirewall Configuration
bash
# UFW setup
ufw default deny incoming
ufw default allow outgoing
ufw allow ssh
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw enable
# Or iptables
iptables -P INPUT DROP
iptables -P FORWARD DROP
iptables -A INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPTKernel Hardening
bash
# /etc/sysctl.d/99-security.conf
net.ipv4.conf.all.send_redirects = 0
net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_redirects = 0
net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_source_route = 0
net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_broadcasts = 1
kernel.randomize_va_space = 2
fs.suid_dumpable = 0
# Apply
sysctl -pFile Permissions
bash
# Critical files
chmod 600 /etc/shadow
chmod 644 /etc/passwd
chmod 700 /root
chmod 600 /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# Find world-writable files
find / -type f -perm -0002 -ls
# Find SUID files
find / -perm -4000 -type f -lsAudit Configuration
bash
# Install auditd
apt install auditd
# /etc/audit/rules.d/audit.rules
-w /etc/passwd -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/shadow -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/sudoers -p wa -k actions
-a always,exit -F arch=b64 -S execve -k execBest Practices
- Disable unused services
- Keep system updated
- Use fail2ban for intrusion prevention
- Enable SELinux/AppArmor
- Regular security audits
- Monitor log files
- Implement least privilege
Related Skills
- cis-benchmarks - Compliance scanning
- firewall-config - Firewall rules
