Essential security tips to help keep your Windows VPS safe
As pretty much every aspect of modern life is now governed via technology, staying safe in what many are referring to as the “digital age” has never been more crucial. With threats of viruses, hacking, and our personal information and details falling into the wrong hands it is simply essential that we ensure we do all that we can protect ourselves online by utilising the most effective security resources currently at our disposal. Some servers for example, can actually be hacked in as short an amount of time as less than one hour after being placed online if the necessary precautions and security measures have not been implemented. Studies have revealed that the majority of exploits occur due to failed security measures, missing patches, weak passwords, and other basic errors that could be so easily avoided with a little time and care. The last thing you want is the wrong people gaining access to your servers and accessing private details and information, yet if certain safeguards and security measures have not been implemented it could be extremely easy to do by somebody who knows what they’re doing. Say you’re using a windows VPS, you should be especially aware of certain tasks that could be required to keep your server secure and updated. Here we’ll be taking a look at a few things you can do to help secure and protect your windows VPS.
Ensure you enable windows firewall – A windows firewall has been specially designed to help protect your windows VPS against unwanted admission from the wrong individuals. They basically work by controlling the flow of traffic via a selection of rules that have been predefined by the user and owner of the VPS. Windows firewall comes with all windows server editions though it isn’t always available as standard. It is basic yet incredibly effective and many experts recommend setting all of your default policies to the setting “deny all”, and then basically manually enabling whatever you need as you go.
Always use strong passwords – This should go without saying really but you’d be amazed by just how many people ignore this advice just to save themselves a few additional seconds. Using a password such as the word “password” or perhaps your name followed by your date of birth, is not secure and leaves your VPS vulnerable to attack from hackers. To create what truly can be classed as a strong password, virtual security experts recommend using a combination of numbers, upper and lowercase letters, special characters, and a password that is at least 8 characters in length. Simply put, Bob1234 just isn’t going to cut it. If you’re worried about forgetting, you can always set reminders or write it down manually on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere safe and secure.
Regularly update windows – This should again go without saying but people again choose to ignore updates to windows in a bid to save themselves a few minutes. As security measures and protocols are constantly changing and being updated and improved, in order to ensure that your VPS is up to date with the latest security updates you will need to ensure that you regularly update windows. If you are worried about time, why not set the device to download and install updates in the evening so that they’re ready to go the next working day.
Lock down remote desktop ports – Another great security measure you can implement is to lock down any accesses to the remote desktops of windows so that they’re only accessible to specific IP addresses such as your office or your home perhaps. In order to fully utilize this feature you will require a dedicated IP so it is worth taking that into consideration ahead of time to ensure you don’t encounter any problems or complications. You should also alter the default listening port so that the number is no longer 3389 and is now instead a five digit number that you can select at random. Again, make note of the five digit number you selected and keep it in a safe location so that you can easily locate it again if need be. In order to alter these settings, you will need to access your windows firewall and you will then be able to alter them via the advanced options of your windows firewall.
Always control any user access – Wherever possible, experts recommend that you always set user access controls to maximize the security of your VPS. If you are allowing others to log in on your VPS server, you should set up a special user account and only allow them access to systems that they require access to. Simply put, if they don’t need access to specific systems, don’t grant them access. If you’re using your VPS exclusively, experts recommend setting up a restricted access user account and then leaving administrator logins clean without any extra software.
Remember, when dealing with computers, security should be taken as seriously online as it is in the real world. You wouldn’t leave your home or car without locking the doors so why would you leave yourself vulnerable to cyber attacks in which hackers could potentially access your financial details and other extremely sensitive information, either about your company, or your employees and customers?