Top 4 most effective ways to secure a VPS

Have you truly secured your VPS properly? When was the last time you changed your VPS password? Are you using the default password for your VPS?

In this article,VPTSwill explore with you 4 simple yet extremely effective ways to secure and protect your VPS with complete safety. Let's get started with us right away!

What is VPS security?

VPS security is the process of implementing measures and procedures toprotect virtual servers from threatssuch as cyber attacks, unauthorized access, and malware. The goal of this process is to ensurecontrol access permissions, protect data, and prevent denial-of-service attacks(DoS), while maintaining system integrity, security, and availability. This is a key factor that helps the VPS operate stably, securely, and reliably in an increasingly complex network environment.

Method 1: Use a strong password and change it regularly to secure your VPS.

Step 1: Log in to your VPS.(The illustrative example below uses the Windows Server 2012R2 operating system)

Step 2: For faster and easier operation, you can use the support tool from VPTS.

• Double-click to openTool VPTS.

• In sectionPassword Tool, enter the new password.

👉 Note: Passwords must be sufficiently strong and contain special characters to ensure security.

• After entering, click the button"Change Password"to complete the password change process.

• You can download the VPTS tool here:Download VPTS exclusive tools (1 downloads)

The guide above is for Windows Server OS; if you are using Linux OS, VPTS has a dedicated article guiding password changes on Linux

Click here to view: 👉Instructions for Changing Password on Linux

Method 2: Change default port – a simple step to enhance VPS security

• For Windows operating systems, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log in to your VPS.(The illustrative example below uses the Windows Server 2012R2 operating system)

Step 2: To save time, you can use the support Tool from VPTS to complete it faster.

• Click the iconVPTS Toolon the desktop screen to open the tool.

• In section“Change current RDP port”, you will see the default port is 3389.

• Enter the new port you want to use, for example 7979, to replace it.

• After entering, click the button“Change”to apply.

📌 Note: After changing the port, when connecting via Remote Desktop (RDP), you must append the new port to the IP address, for example: 103.xxx.xxx.xxx:7979

Step 3: After successfully changing the port, reconnect to the VPS via Remote Desktop using the new port by appending a colon (:) and the port number after the VPS IP address.

After entering the IP and port, clickConnectallows you to use the VPS as normal.

• For Linux operating systems, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log in to the VPS using Bitvise SSH Client and click "New terminal console"

Step 2: Once the Terminal window opens, copy the command below and paste it as shown: 

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vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Press the keyito enter file editing mode. Then, navigate to the line containingPort 22. If this line contains the mark#at the beginning (indicating it is currently disabled), please delete the symbol#and replace the number22with the new port you want to use – for example:8386

When finished editing, press the keyEscto exit editing mode, then enter the command:wqthen press keyEnterto save changes and exit the configuration file.

Then run the command below to restart the ssh service as shown in the image below!

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systemctl restart sshd

Step 3: Return to Bitvise SSH Client and log back in to the VPS using the port you just changed.

Method 3: Reduce attack risks by changing the VPS login user

Step 1: Log in to your VPS.(The illustrative example below uses the Windows Server 2012R2 operating system)

Step 2: For faster and more convenient operation, you can use the support Tool from VPTS.

• Double-click the iconTool VPTSon the screen to open.

• In section"Change Admin Account", enter the new username you want to set.

• After entering, click the button"Change"to apply.

📌 Note:Username must not contain spaces, special characters, or accented Vietnamese letters. Use only alphanumeric characters.

• Switch to manual method 

Step 1: Go to Start and search for Computer Management.

Step 2: In the left navigation panel, click "Local Users and Groups", then double-click "Users" in the right pane to display the list of user accounts on the system.

Step 3: Right-click on the account you want to rename, select "Rename", then enter the new Username as desired.

📌 Note:Username cannot contain spaces, special characters, or Vietnamese accents. Use only English letters and numbers to ensure system stability.

• Log in with new user

After successfully changing the default account name, simply use the new username and password to log back in via Remote Desktop as usual.

• For Linux operating systems

Step 1: Log in to the VPS using Bitvise SSH Client and click "New terminal console".

Step 2: Once the Terminal window opens, copy the command below and paste it as shown.

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sudo vi /etc/passwd

Press the keyito enter editing mode. Then, navigate to the first line containingroot:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bashand replace the wordrootwith the username you want to change.

Then run the command below to restart the ssh service as shown in the image below!

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systemctl restart sshd

 Next, run the command below to set a new password for the recently changed user.

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passwd

Step 3: Return to Bitvise SSH Client and log back in to the VPS using the username you just changed.

Method 4: Disable Remote Desktop and use VNC to enhance VPS security.

Step 1: Log in to your VPS (in this guide, Windows Server 2012 R2 is used).

Step 2: Open Server Manager, then select Local Server on the left sidebar.

Step 3: Locate the Remote Desktop line, click the current status to modify remote connection settings.

Step 4: Select the "Don’t allow remote connections to this computer" option, click Apply, and finally click OK to save changes.

Now you can access the VPS via VNC after disabling Remote Desktop Connection

Click here to view: 👉Guide to Connecting to VPS via VNC Browser

Conclusion

VPS security is one of the most critical steps to ensure your system always operates stably and safely, avoiding potential risks from cyber attacks. Through the 4 effective methods shared by VPTS – from using strong passwords, changing login ports, changing administrative users to disabling Remote and using VNC – you can fully take initiative to enhance your server's protection layer.

Always remember: security is not a one-time action, but an ongoing process.VPTSalways ready to accompany you in building the most optimal and secure VPS system!

VPTS – Comprehensive Digital Infrastructure Solutions Provider

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