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Linux Server Hardening & Nginx Reverse Proxy Configuration

Network SecurityMay 2026

Environment & Objective

Target Environment: Linux VM (Ubuntu Server) / Nginx / Cloudflare

Harden Ubuntu Linux server instance and configure secure Nginx reverse proxy with TLS/SSL encryption.

Tools & Instrumentation

UFW FirewallNginxCertbotOpenSSH

Analysis & Execution Strategy

Configured UFW firewall rules permitting only 80, 443, and non-standard SSH ports. Disabled SSH root login and password authentication in favor of ED25519 SSH keys.

Security Findings & Evidence

Default Linux server deployments expose vulnerable default ports and weak SSH cipher suites.

Evidence:

SSLLabs A+ rating verification and hardened sshd_config file.

Remediation & Recommendation

Apply baseline security benchmarks (CIS Level 1), restrict SSH to key-based auth, and implement rate limiting on web servers.

Key Practical Lessons Learned

Default configurations favor compatibility over security. Hardening must be applied immediately upon provisioning.

CyberShujaa Practical Lab Series