Firewall Setup

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  1. Firewall Setup

This article details the configuration of a firewall for a MediaWiki 1.40 installation. A properly configured firewall is crucial for the security of your wiki, protecting it from unauthorized access and potential attacks. This guide assumes a basic understanding of networking concepts. We will cover common firewall approaches and essential rules. It's vital to understand your hosting environment (shared hosting, VPS, dedicated server) as this impacts your control over firewall configuration. For shared hosting, you generally rely on the provider's firewall. For VPS/dedicated servers, you have more control, often using `iptables`, `firewalld`, or a cloud provider's security groups. See Server Security for a broader overview.

== Understanding Firewalls

A firewall acts as a barrier between your server and the internet. It examines incoming and outgoing network traffic and blocks anything that doesn't match pre-defined rules. This is a core component of Network Security. There are two main types of firewalls:

  • **Stateful Firewalls:** These track the state of network connections. They understand if a packet is part of an established connection and are more secure. `iptables` and `firewalld` are stateful.
  • **Stateless Firewalls:** These examine each packet in isolation, without considering the connection's history.

== Common Firewall Tools

Several tools are commonly used for firewall configuration.

  • **iptables:** A powerful, low-level firewall utility common on Linux systems. It can be complex to configure directly. See Linux System Administration.
  • **firewalld:** A dynamic firewall manager with a more user-friendly interface than `iptables`. It's often the default on newer Linux distributions. Refer to Firewalld Configuration.
  • **ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall):** A front-end for `iptables` designed to simplify common firewall tasks. It's user-friendly but less flexible than `iptables` directly. See UFW Tutorial.
  • **Cloud Provider Firewalls:** AWS Security Groups, Azure Network Security Groups, and Google Cloud Firewall Rules provide firewall functionality within the cloud platform. See Cloud Hosting Considerations.

== Essential Firewall Rules for MediaWiki

The following rules are essential for securing a MediaWiki installation. These examples are generalized and may need adjustments based on your specific setup. These rules assume your web server (e.g., Apache or Nginx) is listening on port 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS). See Web Server Configuration.

Required Incoming Connections

Port Protocol Description
80 TCP HTTP Web Access (if not redirecting to HTTPS)
443 TCP HTTPS Web Access (recommended)
22 TCP SSH Access (restrict to specific IP addresses if possible) - See SSH Security
3306 TCP MySQL/MariaDB Access (only allow from localhost or trusted servers) - See Database Security

Recommended Incoming Connections (Conditional)

Port Protocol Description
53 UDP DNS (if running a DNS server on the same machine)
25 TCP SMTP (if running an email server on the same machine) – See Email Server Configuration
110 TCP POP3 (if running an email server on the same machine)
143 TCP IMAP (if running an email server on the same machine)

Outgoing Connections

Generally, outgoing connections should be allowed unless there's a specific reason to block them. However, consider restricting outgoing connections to essential services like DNS (port 53) and NTP (port 123) for increased security. See Time Synchronization.

Example iptables Rules

(These are examples only; adapt to your specific needs and distribution)

Rule Description
`iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT` Allow incoming HTTP traffic
`iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT` Allow incoming HTTPS traffic
`iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -s <Your IP Address> -j ACCEPT` Allow SSH access from your IP address ONLY. Replace `<Your IP Address>` with your actual IP.
`iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 3306 -s 127.0.0.1 -j ACCEPT` Allow MySQL/MariaDB access from localhost
`iptables -A INPUT -j DROP` Drop all other incoming traffic
    • Important:** After making changes to `iptables`, save the rules to ensure they persist after a reboot. The method for saving rules varies depending on your distribution. See iptables Persistence.

== Testing Your Firewall Configuration

After configuring your firewall, it's essential to test it to ensure it's working correctly. You can use tools like `nmap` to scan your server and verify that only the allowed ports are open. See Network Scanning.

  • **`nmap <your_server_ip>`**: This will scan the most common ports.
  • **`nmap -p 80,443,22 <your_server_ip>`**: This will scan only ports 80, 443, and 22.

== Further Considerations

  • **Rate Limiting:** Implement rate limiting to protect against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. This can be done with `iptables` or using a dedicated DoS protection service. See DoS Protection.
  • **Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS):** Consider using an IDS/IPS to detect and prevent malicious activity. Snort and Suricata are popular options.
  • **Regular Updates:** Keep your firewall software and rules up to date to protect against the latest threats.
  • **Logging:** Enable firewall logging to monitor traffic and identify potential security issues. See Server Logging.
  • **Least Privilege:** Only allow the minimum necessary access. Avoid overly permissive rules.



Server Security Linux System Administration Firewalld Configuration UFW Tutorial Cloud Hosting Considerations SSH Security Database Security Email Server Configuration Time Synchronization iptables Persistence Network Scanning DoS Protection Web Server Configuration Network Security Server Logging


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