Manually Ban IP Addresses with fail2ban
Fail2ban is a powerful security tool that helps protect your server from brute force attacks by banning IP addresses that repeatedly fail authentication attempts. While fail2ban automatically bans IPs based on predefined rules, there may be times when you need to manually ban an IP address. In this article, we will walk you through the steps to manually ban an IP address using fail2ban.
Identify the IP Address
Before manually banning an IP address, you need to identify the offending IP. You can do this by checking your server logs or monitoring tools for suspicious activity. Once you have identified the IP address, you can proceed with manually banning it.
Manually Ban the IP Address
To manually ban an IP address using fail2ban, follow these steps:
- Open a terminal window on your server.
- Run the command
fail2ban-client set [JAIL] banip [IP ADDRESS], where [JAIL] is the name of the fail2ban jail you want to use (e.g., sshd) and [IP ADDRESS] is the IP address you want to ban. - Verify that the IP address has been banned by running the command
fail2ban-client status [JAIL].
Unban an IP Address
If you need to unban an IP address that was manually banned, you can do so by running the command fail2ban-client set [JAIL] unbanip [IP ADDRESS], where [JAIL] is the name of the fail2ban jail and [IP ADDRESS] is the IP address you want to unban.
Conclusion
Manually banning IP addresses with fail2ban can be a useful tool in securing your server against malicious attacks. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can effectively block unwanted IP addresses and protect your server from potential threats.