Strengthening SSH security and privileged access control in Linux involves several key strategies. Here are some best practices to enhance your system's security:

Strengthening SSH Security

1. Disable Root Login

• Action: Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config and set PermitRootLogin no. This forces users to log in with their own accounts and use sudo for elevated privileges[1][2][4].

2. Use Key-Based Authentication

• Action: Generate strong RSA keys (e.g., RSA 4096) using ssh-keygen. Ensure that the .ssh directory is secure, ideally owned by root or a trusted group[1][2].

3. Disable Empty Passwords

• Action: Set PermitEmptyPasswords no in /etc/ssh/sshd_config. This prevents users from logging in without a password[4].

4. Limit Authentication Attempts

• Action: Set a low value for MaxAuthTries (e.g., four attempts) to mitigate brute-force attacks[1].

5. Implement Idle Timeout

• Adjust the ClientAliveInterval parameter to enforce session timeouts, reducing exposure if an attacker gains access to an idle session[1].

Privileged …

Have you ever encountered a situation where your ISPConfig 3 control panel keeps disabling a website, even after you manually reactivate it? It’s frustrating, confusing, and can leave you scrambling for answers. I recently faced this exact issue, and after some digging, I discovered the culprit: resource quotas. In this post, I’ll walk through the problem, the troubleshooting process, and the simple fix that saved the day.

The Problem: A Disappearing Website

I was managing a client’s website hosted on a server running ISPConfig 3 when I noticed something odd. The site would randomly go offline, showing a “disabled” status in the control panel. I’d re-enable it, only to find it disabled again moments later. No configuration changes were made, and the server itself was running smoothly. What was going on?

At first, I suspected a server crash or a misconfigured cron job. But after checking server logs and …

To stream your MP4 video file to Owncast using FFmpeg, follow these steps:

1. Locate Your Owncast RTMP Credentials

• In your Owncast admin dashboard (http://your-server:8080/admin), go to Configuration → Stream Keys.
• Copy the Stream URL (e.g., rtmp://your-server/live) and Stream Key (e.g., abc123-secret-key).

2. Basic FFmpeg Command

fffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i video.mp4 \
       -map 0:v -map 0:a \
       -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 2500k -maxrate 2500k -bufsize 5000k -g 60 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
       -c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100 \
       -f flv 'rtmp://localhost:1935/live/key'

Explanation of Flags:

• -re: Read input at native frame rate (avoids streaming too fast).
• -stream_loop -1: Loop the video infinitely (remove this to stream once).
• -c:v libx264: Use H.264 video codec.
• -preset veryfast: Balances speed and compression efficiency.
• -b:v 2500k: Video bitrate (adjust based on …

Introduction
In an era where data privacy and control are paramount, self-hosted media platforms empower users to manage their content without relying on third-party services. Whether you’re a developer, a small business, or a content creator, hosting your own media ensures full ownership, customization, and scalability. This guide explores the top free, open-source solutions to transform your server into a powerful media hub for videos, images, audio, and live streams.

Why Choose Self-Hosted Media Hosting?

1. Privacy & Control: Keep sensitive content off public platforms.
2. Cost Savings: Avoid subscription fees and paywall restrictions.
3. Customization: Tailor the platform to your brand or workflow.
4. Unlimited Storage: Scale based on your server’s capacity.

Top Free & Open-Source Media Hosting Platforms

1. MediaCMS: The All-in-One Media Powerhouse

Overview: Built with Django and React, MediaCMS is a modern, feature-rich platform for hosting videos, audio, images, and documents. Think of it as …

Below is a step‐by‐step guide to install Owncast on Ubuntu 24.04. You can choose either the manual installation method (using the official installer script) or the Snap package method. Both methods are effective; pick the one that best suits your needs.

Prerequisites

1. Update Your System:
   Open a terminal and run:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
   

2. Install Required Tools:
   Ensure you have curl installed:

   sudo apt install curl -y
   

3. Optional – Firewall Setup:
   If you use UFW, you’ll need to allow ports:

   sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp   # For the web interface
   sudo ufw allow 1935/tcp   # For RTMP streaming
   

Method 1: Manual Installation Using the Official Installer

1. Download and Run the Installer Script:
   This script downloads the latest Owncast release (including FFmpeg if needed) and sets up a new owncast directory.

   curl -s https://owncast.online/install.sh | bash
   

   This command will:

   • Create an owncast folder.
   • Download the …

Manipulating images is a crucial skill, especially for those who work extensively with graphics, web design, or digital art. While there are numerous tools and software available for image manipulation, Linux users often find the command line to be a powerful and efficient way to handle these tasks. Let's dive into some essential image manipulation commands in Linux.

1. ImageMagick

ImageMagick is one of the most popular and versatile command-line tools for image manipulation. It supports a wide range of image formats and offers various commands for different tasks.

Installation

sudo apt-get install imagemagick

Basic Commands

• Convert: Convert images between different formats.

convert input.jpg output.png

• Resize: Resize an image.

convert input.jpg -resize 800x600 output.jpg

• Crop: Crop an image to specified dimensions.

convert input.jpg -crop 800x600+0+0 output.jpg

• Rotate: Rotate an image by a specified angle.

convert input …

Load Balancing with Nginx

Load balancing is a crucial technique for distributing incoming network traffic across multiple servers to enhance performance, reliability, and scalability. Nginx, a powerful web server and reverse proxy, offers robust load-balancing features that make it a popular choice for managing high-traffic websites and applications.

Why Use Load Balancing?

When a website or application experiences high traffic, a single server might struggle to handle all requests efficiently. Load balancing helps in:

• Distributing Traffic: Preventing any single server from being overwhelmed.
• Improving Performance: Ensuring fast response times by routing requests to the least busy server.
• Enhancing Reliability: If one server fails, traffic can be rerouted to healthy servers.
• Scalability: Making it easier to add more servers as traffic increases.

How Nginx Handles Load Balancing

Nginx can act as a reverse proxy and distribute requests to multiple backend servers using different load-balancing algorithms. The most …