How can you harden your FreeBSD operating system for production?

1 Update your system

The first step to harden your FreeBSD system is to ensure that it is up to date with the latest security patches and bug fixes. You can use the freebsd-update command to fetch and install updates from the official FreeBSD servers. You can also configure freebsd-update to run automatically and notify you of any available updates via email. To update your system, run the following commands as root: freebsd-update fetch freebsd-update install

3 Disable unnecessary services and ports

The third step to harden your FreeBSD system is to disable any services and ports that you do not need or use. This will reduce the attack surface and improve the performance of your system. You can use the service command to start, stop, or restart services, and the sockstat command to check which services are listening on which ports. You can also use the rc.conf file to enable or disable services at boot time. To disable a service, run the following command as root: service <service_name> stop

4 Enforce strong passwords and user policies

The fourth step to harden your FreeBSD system is to enforce strong passwords and user policies for your accounts. You can use the pw command to create, modify, or delete user accounts, and the passwd command to change passwords. You can also use the login.conf file to set up password complexity, expiration, and other user settings. To change the password for a user, run the following command as root: passwd <user_name>

5 Implement encryption and backups

The fifth step to harden your FreeBSD system is to implement encryption and backups for your data. You can use the geli command to create and manage encrypted partitions, and the dump and restore commands to backup and restore filesystems. You can also use other encryption and backup tools such as gpg, rsync, or borg. To create an encrypted partition, run the following commands as root: geli init -s 4096 -l 256 -e AES-XTS /dev/ada1 geli attach /dev/ada1

6 Monitor and audit your system

The sixth and final step to harden your FreeBSD system is to monitor and audit your system for any signs of intrusion, compromise, or anomaly. You can use the syslogd command to configure and manage system logs, and the auditd command to enable and control system auditing. You can also use other monitoring and auditing tools such as top, ps, netstat, or auditreduce. To enable system auditing, run the following commands as root: echo 'auditd_enable="YES"' >> /etc/rc.conf audit -s

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?