Learn Changing Your SSH Port For Extra Security on CentOS 6 or 7

June 14, 2019

Table of Contents

    Right now, everyone seems to use the infamous port 22 to connect to their server with SSH. In my opinion, it is just another way to make it easier for an attacker to target your server. Changing the SSH port on your server may seem difficult, but it is actually quite simple to do.

    First, we must edit the SSHD (SSH server daemon) configuration file. Use your favorite text editor.

    vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    

    Add the following code to either the top or the bottom of the configuration file.

    # SSH Port
    Port 2124  # the port you want to change it to
    

    Next, we’ll update the firewall. If you have disabled the firewall, skip this step. My example uses port 2124. For CentOS 6 users, run these commands:

    iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 2124 --syn -j ACCEPT
    service iptables save
    semanage port -a -t ssh_port_t -p tcp 2124
    

    CentOS 7 users, run these commands instead:

    firewall-cmd --add-port 2124/tcp --permanent
    firewall-cmd --add-port 2124/tcp
    

    The configuration changes are now finished. Restart the SSH server (SSHD)…

    service sshd restart
    

    https://www.itweb.services/tutorials/linux-guides/search/?query=fail2ban”>Fail2ban.

    Need help?

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