VPS Best Practices – HostEONS – Best VPS, Dedicated Servers and Web Hosting

When you manage your own VPS, keeping it secure goes far beyond setting up a strong password or using SSH keys. One of the most important — and often overlooked — tasks is monitoring login attempts and file changes.

If someone tries to brute-force their way into your server or modifies system files without authorization, you need to know immediately. In this post, we’ll walk you through simple tools and methods to keep an eye on your VPS security 24/7.

🔍 Why Monitoring Matters

Cyberattacks aren’t always obvious. Hackers often:

Try to gain access via repeated failed logins
Modify configuration files to install backdoors
Inject malicious code into websites or scripts
Use rootkits to hide their presence

By monitoring login attempts and file changes, you can detect suspicious activity early and prevent damage before it escalates.

🛡️ Monitor Login Attempts with

Fail2Ban

✅ What It Does:

Fail2Ban scans your log files (like /var/log/auth.log) and bans IPs that show signs of malicious behavior, such as too many failed login attempts.

🔧 How to Install:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install fail2ban -y

📂 Basic Configuration:

The main config file is located at:

/etc/fail2ban/jail.local

A sample rule to monitor SSH:

[sshd]
enabled = true
port = ssh
filter = sshd
logpath = /var/log/auth.log
maxretry = 3

Fail2Ban automatically updates your firewall to block suspicious IPs.

🗂️ Monitor File Changes with

AIDE

(Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment)

✅ What It Does:

AIDE scans the file system and creates a baseline. It then alerts you when files are modified, added, or deleted.

🔧 How to Install:

sudo apt install aide -y

🛠️ Initialize the Database:

sudo aideinit
sudo cp /var/lib/aide/aide.db.new /var/lib/aide/aide.db

📊 Run Regular Checks:

sudo aide --check

For automation, schedule this via cron and configure it to email alerts.

🔁 Real-Time File Monitoring with

inotify-tools

For lightweight, real-time file monitoring (e.g., for specific web directories), use inotify-tools.

🔧 Install:

sudo apt install inotify-tools -y

Example: Watch for changes in

/var/www/html

:

inotifywait -m -r /var/www/html

This tool is great for developers and sysadmins wanting immediate feedback on file activity.

✉️ Optional: Email Alerts for Login & File Events

Combine these tools with email notifications or integrate them with your external monitoring system (Zabbix, Prometheus, or even a simple bash + mail setup) for real-time alerting.

🧠 Best Practices

🔐 Use SSH keys instead of passwords
🔒 Disable root login via SSH
🚫 Change default SSH port
📉 Monitor logs daily or automate alerting
🧾 Keep audit trails and backups

💡 All Hosteons VPS & VDS Plans Support These Tools

Whether you’re using a Budget KVM VPS, Ryzen KVM VPS, or Ryzen 7950X VDS, all of these monitoring tools can be installed and configured quickly.

We offer full root access and support popular Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, and CentOS — perfect for custom security setups.

🔒 Secure Your VPS Before It’s Too Late

Don’t wait until something goes wrong. Set up login and file monitoring today — and stay in control of your VPS.

Have questions? Need help setting it up? Reach out to Hosteons Support — we’re here to help!

When managing your VPS or Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS), security should always come first. While many users rely on traditional passwords for remote access, SSH keys offer a far more secure and convenient alternative.

At Hosteons, we strongly recommend using SSH key authentication to secure your VPS access — and here’s why.

🔐 What Are SSH Keys?

SSH (Secure Shell) keys are a pair of cryptographic keys used to authenticate with a remote server:

Public Key: Stored on your VPS (e.g., in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys)
Private Key: Stored securely on your local device (e.g., ~/.ssh/id_rsa)

When you try to connect, your device proves ownership of the private key — no need to transmit a password.

🚫 The Problem with Passwords

Easily guessed or brute-forced
Often reused across multiple accounts
Susceptible to phishing or keylogging
Require manual entry each time

If your password is weak or exposed, your server is vulnerable.

✅ Benefits of Using SSH Keys

1. Stronger Security

SSH keys are typically 2048-bit or 4096-bit, which are practically uncrackable by brute force.

2. No Password Transmission

No password is sent over the network, making it immune to interception.

3. Convenience

You can set up password-less login using your key, often combined with an SSH agent or passphrase.

4. Script-Friendly

Automated deployments and Git-based workflows rely on SSH keys for secure, non-interactive authentication.

5. Block Brute-Force Attacks

Once password authentication is disabled, bots and attackers can no longer guess credentials.

🛠️ How to Set Up SSH Key Authentication

Generate a Key Pair (on your local machine):

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

Upload the Public Key to Your VPS:

ssh-copy-id user@your-vps-ip

Or manually place the public key into ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
Disable Password Authentication:Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config on your VPS:

PasswordAuthentication no

Then restart the SSH service:

systemctl restart sshd

🔒 Combine with Fail2Ban and Firewall

For maximum protection:

Use Fail2Ban to block repeated failed login attempts
Limit access to port 22 using UFW or CSF firewall
Change the default SSH port (optional)

🧠 Summary

Using SSH keys instead of passwords is one of the simplest yet most powerful steps you can take to secure your VPS or VDS.

At Hosteons, all our KVM VPS, Ryzen VPS, and Ryzen 7950X VDS plans support full SSH key authentication out of the box.

Take 2 minutes to set it up — and save yourself from countless security headaches.