Fail2ban is a powerful security tool that helps protect your server from brute-force attacks by monitoring log files and banning IP addresses that show malicious activity. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to install and configure Fail2ban on Ubuntu 22.04.

Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Fail2ban, update your system to ensure all packages are up-to-date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install Fail2ban

Now, install Fail2ban using the following command:

sudo apt install fail2ban

Once the installation is complete, the Fail2ban service will start automatically.

Step 3: Configure Fail2ban

Fail2ban comes with a default configuration file located at /etc/fail2ban/jail.conf. However, it is recommended to create a local configuration file to override the default settings without modifying the original file:

sudo cp /etc/fail2ban/jail.conf /etc/fail2ban/jail.local

Edit the local configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/fail2ban/jail.local

In this file, you can configure various settings such as the default ban time, the number of allowed failures, and the services to monitor. For example:

[DEFAULT]
ignoreip = 127.0.0.1/8
bantime  = 3600
findtime = 600
maxretry = 3

[sshd]
enabled = true

Step 4: Start and Enable Fail2ban

Now, start the Fail2ban service and enable it to start on boot:

sudo systemctl start fail2ban
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban

Step 5: Check the Status of Fail2ban

You can check the status of Fail2ban to ensure it is running correctly with the following command:

sudo systemctl status fail2ban

Step 6: Monitor Fail2ban Logs

Fail2ban logs its activity in the /var/log/fail2ban.log file. You can monitor the logs to see which IP addresses have been banned:

sudo tail -f /var/log/fail2ban.log

Step 7: Configure Additional Jails

In addition to SSH, Fail2ban can monitor other services. To configure additional jails, edit the jail.local file and enable them by changing enabled to true. For example, to enable the Apache jail, add the following section:

[apache]
enabled = true

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and configured Fail2ban on Ubuntu 22.04. Fail2ban is now actively protecting your server from brute-force attacks.

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