Server setup

The front end server (mid 2018) runs on Linux; in a `cloud' hosted environment.

Below documents the initial setup of the base machine; followed by the setup for each of the modules.

The final section shows the monthly and annual maintenance cycles.

Setup and rudimentary hardening

1. apt update, apt upgrade

1. apt install sudo

• create named accounts for each of the admins (you need to get everyones their public SSH key):

 adduser \
  --system \
  --shell /bin/bash \
  --gecos 'Dirk-Willem van Gulik' \
  --group \
  --ingroup admin \
  --disabled-password \
  dirkx

• Add an ssh key for each of these users

• check that you can log in; and sudo with at least one of them.

• Block root login and passwords in /etc/ssh/sshd.conf:

 PermitRootLogin no
 PasswordAuthentication no
 ChallengeResponseAuthentication no

Note: if you did not check the sudo/login of an admin user - they you are about to lock yourself out upon reboot.

• Edit /etc/sysctl.conf to block spoofing, ICMP broadcast, source-packet routing, send redirect, SYN attacks, Martians and ICM redirects.

• Prevent IP spoofing for DNS by replacing multi on to nospoof on in /etc/hosts.conf

• Securing shared memory.

 echo tmpfs /run/shm tmpfs defaults,noexec,nosuid 0 0 >> /etc/fstab

• Reboot.