A Password Protection Service
Fail2ban
© bluebay, 123rf.com
Fail2ban is a quick to deploy, easy to set up, and free to use intrusion prevention service that protects your systems from brute force and dictionary attacks.
Special Thanks: This article was made possible by support from Linux Professional Institute
Several security measures do not protect your systems from compromise, including security by obscurity (i.e., changing ports), intrusion detection (after the fact monitoring and reporting), and poor password policies (allowing non-complex passwords). The better method for protecting your systems is to implement intrusion prevention measures. Fail2ban is one such solution. It scans logs to check for attacks before they occur and blocks the offending host’s access prior to any compromises or break-ins.
Malicious attackers know that passwords are the weakest link in the security chain. They also know that with enough time they can break even the best passwords. Rather than allowing attackers to make attempt after attempt, Fail2ban stops them on their first round of attempts. Any password-protected service such as SSH, FTP, IMAP, POP3, Sendmail, and others are susceptible to brute force and dictionary attacks, because username/password combinations are inherently weak protections.
[...]
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.