Keeping your Windows Server secure is especially important in the interconnected world we now live in today. To achieve this, it’s essential to maintain the availability, confidentiality, and integrity of your services and data. As cyber threats keep evolving, taking a proactive approach towards server security is crucial.
How to keep your Windows Server safe
Even though there isn’t a system that is entirely immune to attacks, many ways exist to reduce vulnerabilities and prevent bad actors from accessing Windows Servers. Here are 10 ways to keep your Windows server safe from cyber threats.
1] Install Server Antivirus Software
Having a way to identify, quarantine, and remove malware from a system can be a good way to protect your server, which is why tools such as a Server antivirus program can be helpful. According to tech writer Ilijia Miljkovac, antivirus software can offer real-time protection to deal with threats and offer adequate web protection to keep servers safe. This can be crucial for securing network infrastructure, especially for business servers.
However, to ensure that antivirus software can offer your server the protection it requires, you need to keep it updated to defend against the latest threats. You can do this by scheduling regular scans and configuring real-time scanning to automatically monitor and quarantine potential malware whenever threats are detected.
2] Update Your Windows Server
Speaking of updates, your server’s operating system should also stay updated so it can be safe, as Microsoft releases security patches and vulnerability fixes regularly. If you don’t install updates, you could put your server at risk of falling victim to new exploits that target known security gaps.
To ensure that you get these patches and fixes, you should regularly check for new updates manually or enable your server to download them automatically. However, when updating it’s always better to test updates in a non-production environment before deploying them on your live server to ensure that they are compatible with your setup.
3] Implement Strong Password Policies
One of the most common ways we let hackers into our systems is by using weak passwords. That is why implementing and enforcing strong password policies is essential for safeguarding our servers from brute force attacks and other exploits that target weak passwords.
To combat this, one of the password policies you can implement could be requiring that all passwords be at least 12 characters long and have a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters, and numbers. Additionally, you can implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to keep the server safe even if passwords are ever compromised.
4] Limit User Access and Permissions
It’s also important to keep in mind that not all users need full access to your server, which is why you only need to give people the permissions they need to fulfill their tasks. Doing this can reduce the chances of your system falling victim to malicious or accidental changes to critical server settings or a siphoning of data.
Luckily, all Windows Servers come with role-based access control (RBAC) features that can help you assign permissions to users based on the roles they have in your organization. For instance, you can let an administrator have more access rights than a standard user, but you can also keep those rights limited to what they need for specific tasks.
5] Use Firewalls to Control Network Traffic
Firewalls are famous for being the first line of defense against malicious traffic and hackers trying to access your system. This is because properly configured firewalls only allow the network communications you flag as okay to pass through.
Fortunately, Windows Servers have a built-in firewall, which you can configure to allow traffic from only the essential services and ports your server needs. However, to optimize firewall efficiency, you must review your firewall rules regularly and close any ports that you no longer use.
6] Implement Secure Remote Access
Many administrators manage their Windows Servers remotely nowadays, but this remote access can lead to more security risks if it’s not configured properly. As such, it’s crucial to ensure that only authorized users can access your server remotely and that they only access it through secure channels.
To do this, you will need to limit the amount of users who can connect to the servers through Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), use strong passwords, and set up MFA for remote access. You must also restrict the IP addresses that RDP connections can use or utilize Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to secure these connections.
7] Regularly Audit and Monitor Server Activity
To spot unauthorized or unusual behavior on your server quickly, you’ll need to keep a log of the activities that usually take place on it. This is why it’s essential to monitor and audit all activities regularly so you can respond to potential security breaches promptly.
For this, you can use the logging features Windows Servers come with, such as Event Viewer, which you can configure to record key activities like system changes, file access, and login attempts. These features can also allow you to set up alerts for specific events like repeated failed login attempts so you know if bad actors are attempting a breach.
8] Regularly Back Up Your Data
Even though backups by themselves can’t prevent attacks from happening, they still play an important part in data security strategies. That’s because if your server is compromised, backups can help you restore your data quickly to minimize downtime.
To ensure that you always have recent backups, you need to schedule your system to regularly back up all important data. After this, you must store these backups in a safe, offsite location to protect them from ransomware attacks or physical damage. Also, you’ll need to test these backups regularly to ensure that they can be restored effectively when needed.
9] Disable Unnecessary Services and Features
Windows Servers usually come with many features and services that are enabled by default that may not be necessary for your specific needs. Since every service you run on your server is a potential entry point for hackers, you need to disable all services or features that you don’t use that often.
You can do this by going through your server settings and disabling all unnecessary services such as file-sharing services, remote access protocols, or outdated services like FTP. When you reduce the attack surface like this, you’ll limit potential vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
10] Use Encryption to Protect Sensitive Data
To ensure that sensitive data on your server stays safe, you’ll need to encrypt it. Should hackers access your server, this encryption will make sure that they won’t be able to read or use this confidential data without the correct decryption key.
Windows Servers have their tools like BitLocker that can help you with this, as they can encrypt files, folders, and even entire drives. Additionally, you can also encrypt communications with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) technologies that will protect data transmitted over your network from being readable.
Conclusion
Keeping your Windows Server safe is a multifaceted task that requires a mix of advanced technologies and an implementation of best practices. However, with new threats popping up daily, you need to accept that maintaining server security will be an ongoing process. However, implementing the measures listed can go a long way toward keeping your server safe.
