Enhancing Server Security for E-Commerce Sites: Firewall and DDoS Protection

Enhancing Server Security for E-Commerce Sites

E-commerce websites are constantly exposed to cyber-attacks, negatively impacting both data security and customer satisfaction. In this article, we will detail the necessary steps to enhance server security.

1. Firewall Setup

The first line of defense for your server is a firewall. On Linux servers, iptables or firewalld are typically used. Below are the steps to create a simple rule set with iptables:

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -j DROP
sudo iptables-save > /etc/iptables/rules.v4

2. DDoS Protection

For protection against DDoS attacks, you can use the combination of fail2ban and iptables. Follow these steps to install fail2ban:

sudo apt-get install fail2ban
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
sudo systemctl start fail2ban

Then, edit the /etc/fail2ban/jail.local file to configure DDoS protection settings:

[sshd]
enabled = true
port = ssh
filter = sshd
logpath = /var/log/auth.log
maxretry = 5
bantime = 3600

3. Web Application Firewall (WAF) Setup

A WAF is crucial for protecting your web applications. ModSecurity is the most commonly used WAF. Follow these steps to install it:

sudo apt-get install libapache2-modsecurity
sudo mv /etc/modsecurity/modsecurity.conf-recommended /etc/modsecurity/modsecurity.conf
sudo nano /etc/modsecurity/modsecurity.conf

Find the line SecRuleEngine On in the file and enable it. Then restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

4. SSL Certificate Installation

To enhance data security, you must use an SSL certificate. You can obtain a free SSL certificate with Let's Encrypt:

sudo apt-get install certbot python3-certbot-apache
sudo certbot --apache

5. Server Performance Optimization

To boost server performance, you should optimize MySQL settings. Below is an example of a my.cnf file:

[mysqld]
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1G
max_connections = 200
query_cache_size = 128M

By following these steps, you will have enhanced your server's security and optimized its performance.