Linux Server Hardening May 2026

Follow the principle of least privilege to limit what users and services can do.

Run system updates immediately upon setup (e.g., apt update && apt upgrade for Debian/Ubuntu or dnf update for RHEL/Fedora). Linux Server Hardening

Disable password-based authentication ( PasswordAuthentication no ) in favor of SSH key-pair authentication . Follow the principle of least privilege to limit

The most critical step is ensuring all software is current to close known vulnerabilities. Linux Server Hardening