Opting for Windows VPS is already a decent choice if security for you is a priority. Nevertheless, the default security parameters are not always optimal, so there should be ways to improve them. In today’s article, we’ll look at the 10 steps that can help you improve your Windows VPS security.
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Contents
- 1 Create a new administrator account with a new name instead of the default one
- 2 Set a strong password
- 3 Change the default remote desktop connection port
- 4 Restrict the access to the Remote Desktop with Firewall based on IP-address
- 5 Turn on Windows Firewall and Antivirus
- 6 Make sure your Windows is always updated
- 7 Check for updates of other software you use
- 8 Use Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption
- 9 Install the Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
- 10 Use Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
- 11 Conclusion
Create a new administrator account with a new name instead of the default one
When you get your VPS from your hosting provider, you already have an administrator account which is always called “admin”. For this reason, some hackers may try to brute-force it and get easy access to your server. To prevent this from happening, just disable the default account, and create a new one with admin rights under a different name. After this hackers won’t be able to get guess it from the common knowledge and they’ll have to look for different, much less straightforward ways, or just give up.
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Set a strong password
Password is probably the most obvious, basic, and universal security measure, but many users still forget about its importance, sometimes ending up hacked. To avoid this, make sure to follow a couple of simple rules for creating a secure password:
- make the password at least 10 characters long;
- combing number, lower and upper case letters, and other special characters;
- don’t use the same password again, even with a couple of changes;
- make a password that is memorable enough for you and keep it in a safe place.
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Change the default remote desktop connection port
The default remote desktop connection port is always 3389, which makes is also an easy target for brute force attacks. Change it to some random port of your choice, resolving another “common knowledge” security issue.
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Restrict the access to the Remote Desktop with Firewall based on IP-address
After changing the default remote desktop connection port, you can move on to restricting access to the remote desktop based on IP, so only the authorized IP addresses are able to access the remote desktop. To perform this, you also need a static IP address, otherwise, it won’t make much sense. Be careful so as not to restrict your own reliable IP from access.
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Turn on Windows Firewall and Antivirus
Windows Firewall is a powerful default option that will save your VPS from various dangers that come from the internet, filtering the incoming and outgoing traffic, and checking it for threats. Windows Firewall is, however not almighty and it’s a good idea to find some good third-party firewall to deal with certain critical operations, like dealing with sensitive information.
Make sure that Windows Defender or any other third-party antivirus of your choice are activated.
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Make sure your Windows is always updated
Any system reveals bugs after a while, and some of them may eventually turn out to be breaches in security, putting your entire system at risk. To prevent hackers from exploiting these, the easiest and most efficient way is to make sure that your system is always updated. Turn on automatic updates on Windows after purchasing the VPS, and you’ll solve this issue.
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Check for updates of other software you use
The principle from the previous section applies to basically any software you are going to use on your VPS: bugs may cause vulnerabilities in security, so the best strategy is to fix them as soon as possible by using the newest versions of every single app.
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Use Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption
Windows BitLocker is a powerful application that makes sure that your Windows VPS boots securely, protecting your VPS from data mining and malware hacking. It works even when the server isn’t on, protecting it literally all the time.
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Install the Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
An intrusion detection system works like an alarm: if some files on the VPS were changed without your consent, it warns you of this. Because that’s how hackers often work: they try to replace your applications with theirs to take over control of your system. It’s also better if this tool is installed and configured by a professional, so ask your hosting provider to help you with this task
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Use Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
In order to monitor whether everything on your Windows VPS is fine in terms of security, you can use this free tool that will analyze and warn you about the vulnerabilities in your system and offer you effective ways of enhancing your security.
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Conclusion
As you have seen, even renting Windows VPS Server from a good hosting provider is not a guarantee of perfect default security – there are many more things to be done. But we hope that this overview has now shown you all the possible measures to protect your Windows VPS and now it is under the least threat. Here we end our material, thank you for your attention, and have a nice day!
