Overview:

At Contabo, we provide full root or administrator access to our servers, giving you complete control over their configuration.

This means that any configuration issues on your server are solely your responsibility and our Customer Support team is unable to assist with troubleshooting these issues.

If you're experiencing security issues with your server, please follow the steps below to address them:

What should I do when I'm experiencing a security issue?

• Remove any malicious content or suspicious processes - Use the command ps aux | grep stealth to identify suspicious behavior on your server.
  
  
• Apply updates and patches - Make sure your operating system and all installed components are up to date to make sure they are as secure as possible.
  
  
• Change all passwords - Change all your passwords to strong, secure alternatives.
  
  
• Review system logs - Check for unusual activity (e.g. /var/log/apache2/error_log, Mail Transfer Agent logs) that may be running on your server.
  
  
• Scan for rootkits and malware - Use tools like ClamAV or ClamWin to find malware on your server.
  
  
• Inspect temporary directories - Check directories like /tmp/ and /var/tmp/ for suspicious files (use find commands).
  
  
• Close unused server ports - Configure your firewall settings appropriately so any unused server ports are closed.
  
  
• Consider a full server reinstallation - If you’re uncertain about resolving the issue we recommend completely reinstalling your server. There is a guide on how to do this here.
  
  
• If you suspect your server is being used for phishing - Make sure to secure your PHP parameters and check your network connections.
  
  
• If you suspect your server is being used for spamming - Check your mail queues, implement sending limits, secure contact forms and prevent "nobody" from sending emails.
  
  
• If you suspect your server is being used for attacks - Check for malicious scripts in error logs and hidden files.

Furthermore, we recommend that you follow the security best practices outlined in our guide here to ensure that you do not experience any further security issues with your server.