ConfigServer Security & Firewall (CSF) is a popular Linux security suite designed to protect your server with ease of installation and flexible configuration. It allows precise control over traffic and shields against malicious attacks.
Preliminary Requirements
- CentOS 7, Fedora 23, Ubuntu 16.04, or Debian 8 OS installed
Installation Steps
For CentOS / Fedora:
Install necessary Perl packages:
yum install perl-libwww-perl.noarch perl-Time-HiRes perl-core zip unzip bind-utils -y
Download and extract CSF:
wget http://download.configserver.com/csf.tgz
tar xzf csf.tgz
Run the installation script:
cd csf
sh install.sh
For Ubuntu / Debian:
Install necessary packages:
apt-get install e2fsprogs dnsutils libwww-perl -y
Download and extract CSF:
wget http://download.configserver.com/csf.tgz
tar xzf csf.tgz
Run the installation script:
cd csf
sh install.sh
Post-Installation
Test for required iptables modules:
perl /usr/local/csf/bin/csftest.pl
Ensure all tests show "OK."
Edit the CSF configuration file:
vi /etc/csf/csf.conf
Set TESTING = "0"
Set RESTRICT_SYSLOG = "3"
Restart CSF:
csf -r
If you encounter a warning about sendmail, resolve it with:
echo '#!/bin/sh' > /usr/sbin/sendmail
chmod +x /usr/sbin/sendmail
Then, restart CSF again:
`csf -r`
Enable Web UI
Install required Perl modules:
CentOS / Fedora:
yum install perl-IO-Socket-INET6 perl-Socket6 -y
Debian / Ubuntu:
apt-get install libio-socket-ssl-perl libcrypt-ssleay-perl libnet-libidn-perl libio-socket-inet6-perl libsocket6-perl libwww-perl -y
Edit the CSF configuration file:
vi /etc/csf/csf.conf
Set UI = "1"
Set UI_PORT = "7777"
Set UI_IP = "111.111.111.111" (or leave blank for all IPs)
Set UI_USER and UI_PASS with secure values
Allow access to the Web UI:
echo "your_public_ip_address" >> /etc/csf/ui/ui.allow
Restart the lfd daemon:
service lfd restart
Access the Web UI via: https://server_ip_address:port
Prevent DoS/DDoS Attacks
Edit CSF configuration:
vi /etc/csf/csf.conf
Set CT_LIMIT = "20"
Set CT_INTERVAL = "30"
Enable email alerts with CT_EMAIL_ALERT = 1
Enable permanent IP blocking with CT_PERMANENT = 1
Set block time with CT_BLOCK_TIME = 1800
Define ports to monitor with CT_PORTS = "22,23,80,443"
Restart CSF and lfd:
csf -r && service lfd restart
For more details, visit: ConfigServer Security & Firewall
