[asterisk-users] aSTERISK / Vicidial systems over 4MB fiber

[Tilghman Lesher]

On Thursday 12 June 2008 03:23:46 Mark Adams wrote:
> I appreciate the responses thus far but I am looking to find out what type
> of security I should implement for the future. Being new to linux, not to
> mention asterisk I didn't realize that someone could brute force into the
> box and upload crap. With that in mind it seems that I would want to get a
> hardware firewall such as a hotbrick or a sonicwall firewall.

One of the most frequent security issues comes not in the form of a software
flaw, but simply in people choosing easy-to-guess passwords on the root
account.  There are two suggestions I have to reduce the risk of this
brute force.  First, choose a username that is uncommon.  In your case, do not
use 'root', 'admin', or even 'mark'.  'madams' might be a good choice.  Once
you figure out that username, configure sshd with the AllowUsers directive to
ONLY allow logins from that user.  If you need root access, install sudo.  If
an attacker cannot figure out what your username is, then it doesn't matter
even if they guess your password, because they aren't getting in.

And of course, the second part is choosing a secure password, one that
contains mixed case, numbers, letters, and symbols.  Don't be afraid to write
down that secure password, as long as you keep it on your person (wallet is a
good choice).  99% of the attackers who might otherwise compromise your
machine will never come within 1000 miles of you.  However, your wallet
contains things that are far more valuable than your password (your identity
documents, for example), so it is hoped that you will be able to keep that
password away from people who would otherwise do you harm.

-- 
Tilghman