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Due to my requirements changing and finding a VPS solution for only an extra euro per month compared to my current shared plan, i'm considering a switch to VPS.

My main concern is about security and difficulty level.

I'm pretty comfortable with configuring/installing software via command line. I'm just wondering about how easy it is to open up security holes in a VPS?

I would start off running mail, web and svn servers. And probably add a music service after if it was safe.

What do you guys think? Would I be stepping into the unknown here? Should I forget it or embrace the challenge :)

Thanks.

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closed as not a real question by Ward, Shane Madden, Scott Pack, Iain♦, MDMarra Nov 13 '11 at 17:22

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

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It's very easy to open up security holes - this is done by neglecting the system administration job that comes with having a server. However; You can't be sure that the administrators of the shared solution you're on are doing all it takes either - it's always a gamble when you give the responsibility to someone else (but if you believe they're better fit than you are - it's a safe gamble).

Security holes are exposed by poor configuration, or vulnerabilities in the software. Patching vulnerabilities should be a routine thing - keeping a secure configuration requires a bit more thinking though. Insecure configuration would include running unneeded services, allowing anonymous access to services that should have access control, etc.

I think you should embrace the challenge, and come out smarter and more experienced in the end - regardless of the outcome. All real sysadmins started out this way.

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Hi Kvisle, You've just confirmed what I thought. I think i'll go for it. I'll run it in tandem with my shared host for a while, just in case. I should learn a lot from it I guess. I suppose another big question is: "What if" I get hacked? Cleaning the system out of any booby traps etc must be a nightmare. – Conor H Oct 26 '11 at 20:51
It's a nightmare, and it's interesting. This is where backups come in. Back up your configuration, so you can easily reestablish from scratch - and backup your data, so you have what's even more important. Forensics, however - can be very interesting too :) – Kvisle Oct 26 '11 at 21:09

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