Security & Hardening Scripts

10 Essential Bash Scripts for Ubuntu Server Hardening

ubuntu server hardening bash scripting security ufw automation

Your Fresh Ubuntu Server is a Sitting Duck

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You just spun up a brand new Ubuntu VPS. Feeling good about it? Don't. Within three minutes of grabbing a public IP, automated scanners are already knocking on port 22. They don't sleep. You do. Manually typing out config files every single time you deploy is a fast track to making a fatal typo. That's exactly why you need a stash of reliable bash scripts. We're turning that fragile default install into a digital fortress. No clicking around in GUIs. Just raw, automated bash scripting security to lock things down before the bots even know you're there.

Slamming the Front Door with UFW Automation

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Let's talk about firewalls. Uncomplicated Firewall is great. Manually configuring it every time gets old fast. You need a script that drops a default-deny policy, opens SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS, and enables logging in one fell swoop. Here's the thing. A simple bash script handles this in under three seconds. You script the rules, enable it, and walk away. Boom. You've instantly cut your attack surface by 99 percent without breaking a sweat. It's the absolute minimum baseline for ubuntu server hardening.

Evicting Root and Killing Passwords

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Passwords are dead. If you're still logging into your server with a string of characters, you're asking for trouble. Brute-force bots love a lazy admin. A solid hardening script digs right into your sshd_config file. It disables root login entirely. It kills password authentication. It forces SSH keys. A quick sed-replace command swaps out the bad defaults and restarts the daemon. Sounds aggressive? Maybe. But accidentally locking yourself out is a way better lesson than letting a botnet mine crypto on your dime.

Automating the Bouncer with Fail2Ban

Even with key-only access, the constant log spam from bots trying to guess credentials is annoying. It eats up resources. Enter Fail2Ban. Writing a script to install and configure it is a total no-brainer. Set the ban time to a week for anyone failing three SSH attempts. Your script drops a custom jail.local file, sets the parameters, and kicks off the service automatically. It’s exactly like hiring a bouncer who works for free and holds serious grudges.

Unattended Upgrades Because You Will Forget

"I'll patch it on Friday." Sure you will. We both know you're going to get busy and forget. Unpatched software is how zero-days ruin your weekend. Scripting the installation of unattended-upgrades takes the human element out of the equation. Your bash script enables automatic security updates, configures the periodic file, and ensures your server patches itself at 3 AM while you're dreaming. Set it. Forget it. Survive.