How to Protect Your Self-Hosted Proxy Network from Hackers > 자유게시판

Managing your own proxy server cluster can be a powerful way to control anonymous browsing sessions. But with great power comes great responsibility—particularly regarding threat mitigation. If your proxy farm is directly accessible online without proper protections, it becomes a prime target for cybercriminals, script kiddies, and intrusion systems looking to compromise insecure services.

Your critical starting point is to assume that every device and service will be probed constantly. Initiate strict network separation from your main network. Use a dedicated subnet so that even if a proxy is compromised, attackers won’t reach your home network or internal infrastructure.

Turn off unused daemons on each proxy machine. Most out-of-the-box setups come with unsecured services running by default. Only keep open what you absolutely need. For SSH access, block password authentication completely and mandate public-key login. Use an obscure port number to reduce noise from automated scans, but never consider this sufficient—it’s weak defense.

Set up packet filtering on every machine. Use iptables or nftables to deny all external connections except from pre-approved sources. If you need to access your proxies remotely, use ZeroTier or Tailscale or leverage a hardened gateway as a dedicated access node. This way, you keep your servers behind a wall directly to the external networks.

Maintain up-to-date packages. Legacy OS versions, traffic routing applications, or even Python libraries can contain unpatched security holes. Activate patch automation where possible, or enforce a quarterly hardening cycle.

Monitor your logs daily. Tools like fail2ban can temporarily lock out attackers that show repeated failed login attempts. Enable real-time warnings for hackmd.io anomalous connection spikes, such as surges from unfamiliar regions.

Apply entropy-rich passphrases for any admin interfaces and never reuse credentials across devices. Leverage Bitwarden or 1Password to generate and store complex passwords securely.

If your proxies are hosted on cloud providers, enable two factor authentication and apply network ACLs. Never download from sketchy repositories from shadow repositories. Choose community-supported licensed codebases with active communities.

Do not persist confidential information on your proxy servers. They function as transit nodes, not to host files. If you must store any data, apply AES-256 or similar and keep the keys separate.

Security fails at the point of least resistance. Assume constant compromise and maintain constant awareness. Security isn't a one time setup—it’s an relentless discipline.