Ubuntu

12.04

<div name="status-deprecated" data-unique="status-deprecated"></div><h2 id="status-deprecated">Status: Deprecated</h2>

This article covers a version of Ubuntu that is no longer supported. If you are currently operate a server running Ubuntu 12.04, we highly recommend upgrading or migrating to a supported version of Ubuntu:

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-upgrade-ubuntu-12-04-lts-to-ubuntu-14-04-lts">Upgrade to Ubuntu 14.04</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-upgrade-to-ubuntu-16-04-lts">Upgrade from Ubuntu 14.04 to Ubuntu 16.04</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-migrate-linux-servers-part-1-system-preparation">Migrate the server data to a supported version</a></li>
</ul>

Reason:
<a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2017-March/000218.html">Ubuntu 12.04 reached end of life (EOL) on April 28, 2017</a> and no longer receives security patches or updates. This guide is no longer maintained.

See Instead: 
This guide might still be useful as a reference, but may not work on other Ubuntu releases. If available, we strongly recommend using a guide written for the version of Ubuntu you are using. You can use the search functionality at the top of the page to find a more recent version. <h3>About Iptables</h3>

In order to make a server more secure after the initial set up, Ubuntu ships with iptables which is the distribution’s default firewall. At the outset, although the Ubuntu firewall is configured, it is set up to allow all incoming and outgoing traffic on a virtual private server. To enable some stronger protection on the server, we can add some basic iptables rules. 

The iptables rules come from a series of options that can be combined to create each specific process. Each packet that crossing the firewall is checked by each rule in order. As soon as it matches a rule, the packet follows the associated action, otherwise it proceeds down the line.

Note: This tutorial covers IPv4 security. In Linux, IPv6 security is maintained separately from IPv4. For example, "iptables" only maintains firewall rules for IPv4 addresses but it has an IPv6 counterpart called "ip6tables", which can be used to maintain firewall rules for IPv6 network addresses.

If your VPS is configured for IPv6, please remember to secure both your IPv4 and IPv6 network interfaces with the appropriate tools. For more information about IPv6 tools, refer to this guide: <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-configure-tools-to-use-ipv6-on-a-linux-vps">How To Configure Tools to Use IPv6 on a Linux VPS</a>

<h2>Iptables Commands</h2>

Although this tutorial will go over a limited amount of commands that would provide a server with some basic security, there are a variety of nuanced and specific cases that can be developed for iptables. Below are some of the most useful commands for developing a firewall for your VPS, but keep in mind that this is a short list and there are a variety of other options.

<pre>-A: (Append), adds a rule to iptables
-L: (List), shows the current rules
-m conntrack: allows rules to be based on the current connection state, elaborated in the the --cstate command.
--cstate: explains the states that connections can be in, there are 4: New, Related, Established, and Invalid
-p: (protocol), refers to the the protocol of the rule or of the packet to check.The specified protocol can be one of tcp, udp, udplite, icmp, esp, ah, sctp or the special keyword "all".
--dport: (port), refers to the the port through which the machine connects
-j: (jump), this command refers to the action that needs to be taken if something matches a rule perfectly. It translates to one of four possibilities:
	-ACCEPT: the packet is accepted, and no further rules are processed
	-REJECT: the packet is rejected, and the 	sender is notified, and no further rules are processed
	-DROP: the packet is rejected, but the 	sender is not notified, and no further rules are processed
	-LOG: the packet is accepted but logged, and the following rules are processed 
-I: (Insert), adds a rule between two previous ones
-I INPUT 3: inserts a rule to make it the third in the list
-v: (verbose), offers more details about a rule</pre>

<h3>Creating the Iptables Rules:</h3>

If you type in the following, you can see the current iptables rules:

<pre>sudo iptables -L</pre>

They should look like this:

<pre>Chain INPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination</pre>

If you have another set of rules in place or want to start fresh, you can always set the rules back to the default by flushing and deleting all of them:

<pre>sudo iptables -F</pre>

Additionally, if you want speed up your work with iptables, you can include -n in the command. This option disables DNS lookups and prevents the command from trying to find the reverse of each IP in the ruleset. You could use this to list rules, as an example:

<pre>iptables -L -n</pre>


<h2>A Basic Firewall</h2>

As it stands the current rules allow all connections, both incoming and outgoing. There are no security measures in place whatsoever. As we build up the table, keep in mind that as soon as a packet is ACCEPTED, REJECTED, or DROPPED, no further rules are processed. Therefore the rules that come first take priority over later ones. 

While creating the rules, we have to be sure to prevent ourselves from accidentally blocking SSH (the method through which we connected to the server). 

To start off, let’s be sure to allow all current connections, all of the connections at the time of making the rule, will stay online: 

<pre>sudo iptables -A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT</pre>

We can go ahead and break this down:

<ol><li>-A tells iptables to append a rule to the table.</li>
<li>INPUT designates this rule as part of the Input chain.</li>
<li>m conntrack followed by the --cstate ESTABLISHED,RELATED guarantees that the result of this rule will only apply to current connections and those related to them are allowed</li>
<li>-j ACCEPT tells the packet to JUMP to accept and the connections are still in place.</li></ol>

After we are assured that all the current connections to the virtual private server can stay up uninterrupted, we can proceed to start blocking off other insecure connections. 

Let’s assume that we want to block all incoming traffic, except for those coming in on 2 common ports: 22 for SSH and 80 for web traffic. We proceed by allowing all traffic on the designated ports with the following commands:

<pre>sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport ssh -j ACCEPT</pre>
<pre>sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT</pre>

In both of these commands, the -p option stands for the protocol with which the connection is being made, in this case tcp, while the --dport specifies the port through which the packet is being transmitted.

After we have guaranteed that the desirable traffic will make it through the firewall, we can finish up by blocking all remaing traffic from accessing our virtual server. Because this is the last rule in the list, all traffic that matches any of the previous rules in iptables will not be affected, and will be treated as we set up previously. 

Let’s make a rule to block all of the remaining traffic:

<pre>sudo iptables -P INPUT DROP</pre>

With that, we can see what our updated rules look like:

<pre>sudo iptables -L
Chain INPUT (policy DROP)
target prot opt source destination 
ACCEPT all -- anywhere anywhere ctstate RELATED,ESTABLISHED 
ACCEPT tcp -- anywhere anywhere tcp dpt:ssh 
ACCEPT tcp -- anywhere anywhere tcp dpt:http 
</pre>

We are almost finished. However, we are missing one more rule. We need to provide our VPS with loopback access. If we were to add the rule now without further qualifiers, it would go to the end of the list and, since it would follow the rule to block all traffic, would never be put into effect. 

In order to counter this issue, we need to make this rule first in the list, using the INPUT option :

<pre>sudo iptables -I INPUT 1 -i lo -j ACCEPT</pre>
<ol><li>-I INPUT 1 places this rule at the beginning of the table</li>
<li>lo refers to the loopback interface</li>
<li>-j ACCEPT then guarantees that the loopback traffic will be accepted</li></ol>

Now we have finished creating a basic firewall. Your rules should look like this (we can see the details of the iptable by typing -v):

<pre>sudo iptables -L -v</pre>

<pre>Chain INPUT (policy DROP 0 packets, 0 bytes)
 pkts bytes target prot opt in out source destination 
 0 0 ACCEPT all -- lo any anywhere anywhere 
 1289 93442 ACCEPT all -- any any anywhere anywhere ctstate RELATED,ESTABLISHED
 2 212 ACCEPT tcp -- any any anywhere anywhere tcp dpt:ssh
 0 0 ACCEPT tcp -- any any anywhere anywhere tcp dpt:http 

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT 0 packets, 0 bytes)
 pkts bytes target prot opt in out source destination 

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT 157 packets, 25300 bytes)
 pkts bytes target prot opt in out source destination </pre>

However, as soon as the virtual server reboots, the iptables rules will be wiped. The next step will go over saving and restoring the iptables rules.

<h2>Saving Iptables Rules</h2>

Although the iptables rules are effective, they will automatically be deleted if the server reboots. To make sure that they remain in effect, we can use a package called IP-Tables persistent. 

We can install it using apt-get:

<pre>sudo apt-get install iptables-persistent</pre>

During the installation, you will be asked if you want to save the iptables rules to both the IPv4 rules and the IPv6 rules. Say yes to both. 

Your rules will then be saved in /etc/iptables/rules.v4 and /etc/iptables/rules.v6.

Once the installation is complete, start iptables-persistent running:

<pre>sudo service iptables-persistent start</pre>

After any server reboot, you will see that the rules remain in place.

 

<div class="author">By Etel Sverdlov</div>

This tutorial covers setting up a very simple firewall with iptables on an ubuntu droplet. The iptables rules come from a series of options that can be combined to create each specific process. Each packet that crossing the firewall is checked by each rule in order. As soon as it matches a rule, the packet follows the associated action, otherwise it proceeds down the line. Many of the rules in the article should be copy and pastable. 

How To Set Up a Firewall Using Iptables on Ubuntu 12.04

How To Set Up a Firewall Using Iptables

14.04

### Introduction

Setting up a good firewall is an essential step to take in securing any modern operating system. Most Linux distributions ship with a few different firewall tools that we can use to configure our firewalls. In this guide, we'll be covering the iptables firewall.

Iptables is a standard firewall included in most Linux distributions by default (a modern variant called nftables will begin to replace it). It is actually a front end to the kernel-level netfilter hooks that can manipulate the Linux network stack. It works by matching each packet that crosses the networking interface against a set of rules to decide what to do.

In the previous guide, we learned [how iptables rules work to block unwanted traffic](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/articles/how-the-iptables-firewall-works). In this guide, we'll move on to a practical example to demonstrate how to create a basic rule set for an Ubuntu 14.04 server. The resulting firewall will allow SSH and HTTP traffic.

<$>[note]
**Note:** This tutorial covers IPv4 security. In Linux, IPv6 security is maintained separately from IPv4. For example, "iptables" only maintains firewall rules for IPv4 addresses but it has an IPv6 counterpart called "ip6tables", which can be used to maintain firewall rules for IPv6 network addresses.

If your VPS is configured for IPv6, please remember to secure both your IPv4 and IPv6 network interfaces with the appropriate tools. For more information about IPv6 tools, refer to this guide: [How To Configure Tools to Use IPv6 on a Linux VPS
](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-configure-tools-to-use-ipv6-on-a-linux-vps)
<$>

## Prerequisites

Before you start using this tutorial, you should have a separate, non-root superuser account—a user with sudo privileges—set up on your server. If you need to set this up, follow this guide: [Initial Server Setup with Ubuntu 14.04](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/initial-server-setup-with-ubuntu-14-04).

## Basic iptables Commands

Now that you have a good understanding of iptables concepts, we should cover the basic commands that will be used to form complex rule sets and to manage the iptables interface in general.

First, you should be aware that iptables commands must be run with root privileges. This means you need to log in as root, use `su` or `sudo -i` to gain a root shell, or precede all commands with `sudo`. We are going to use `sudo` in this guide since that is the preferred method on an Ubuntu system.

A good starting point is to list the current rules that are configured for iptables. You can do that with the `-L` flag:

```command
sudo iptables -L
```
```
[secondary_label Output:]
Chain INPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination 

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination 

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination
```

As you can see, we have our three default chains (INPUT,OUTPUT, and FORWARD). We also can see each chain's default policy (each chain has ACCEPT as its default policy). We also see some column headers, but we don't see any actual rules. This is because Ubuntu doesn't ship with a default rule set.

We can see the output in a format that reflects the commands necessary to enable each rule and policy by instead using the `-S` flag:

```command
sudo iptables -S
```

```
[secondary_label Output:]
-P INPUT ACCEPT
-P FORWARD ACCEPT
-P OUTPUT ACCEPT
```

To replicate the configuration, we'd just need to type `sudo iptables` followed by each of the lines in the output. (Depending on the configuration, it may actually slightly more complicated if we are connected remotely so that we don't institute a default drop policy before the rules are in place to catch and allow our current connection.)

If you *do* have rules in place and wish to scrap them and start over, you can flush the current rules by typing:

```command
sudo iptables -F
```

Once again, the default policy is important here, because, while all of the rules are deleted from your chains, the default policy will *not* change with this command. That means that if you are connected remotely, you should ensure that the default policy on your INPUT and OUTPUT chains are set to ACCEPT prior to flushing your rules. You can do this by typing:

```command
sudo iptables -P INPUT ACCEPT
sudo iptables -P OUTPUT ACCEPT
sudo iptables -F
```

You can then change the default drop policy back to DROP after you've established rules that explicitly allow your connection. We'll go over how to do that in a moment.

## Make your First Rule

We're going to start to build our firewall policies. As we said above, we're going to be working with the INPUT chain since that is the funnel that incoming traffic will be sent through. We are going to start with the rule that we've talked about a bit above: the rule that explicitly accepts your current SSH connection.

The full rule we need is this:

```command
sudo iptables -A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT
```

This may look incredibly complicated, but most of it will make sense when we go over the components:

* **-A INPUT**: The `-A` flag *appends* a rule to the end of a chain. This is the portion of the command that tells iptables that we wish to add a new rule, that we want that rule added to the end of the chain, and that the chain we want to operate on is the INPUT chain.
* **-m conntrack**: iptables has a set of core functionality, but also has a set of extensions or modules that provide extra capabilities.

 In this portion of the command, we're stating that we wish to have access to the functionality provided by the `conntrack` module. This module gives access to commands that can be used to make decisions based on the packet's relationship to previous connections.
* **--ctstate**: This is one of the commands made available by calling the `conntrack` module. This command allows us to match packets based on how they are related to packets we've seen before.

 We pass it the value of `ESTABLISHED` to allow packets that are part of an existing connection. We pass it the value of `RELATED` to allow packets that are associated with an established connection. This is the portion of the rule that matches our current SSH session.
* **-j ACCEPT**: This specifies the target of matching packets. Here, we tell iptables that packets that match the preceding criteria should be accepted and allowed through.

We put this rule at the beginning because we want to make sure the connections we are already using are matched, accepted, and pulled out of the chain before reaching any DROP rules.

We can see the changes if we list the rules:

```command
sudo iptables -L
```

```
[secondary_label Output:]
Chain INPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination 
ACCEPT all -- anywhere anywhere ctstate RELATED,ESTABLISHED

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination 

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination
```

Now that you know the general syntax, let's continue by adding some more cases where we want to accept the connection.

## Accept Other Necessary Connections

We have told iptables to keep open any connections that are already open and to allow new connections related to those connections. However, we need to create some rules to establish when we want to accept new connections that don't meet those criteria.

We want to keep two ports open specifically. We want to keep our SSH port open (we're going to assume in this guide that this is the default 22. If you've changed this in your SSH configuration, modify your value here). We are also going to assume that this computer is running a web server on the default port 80. If this is not the case for you, you don't have to add that rule.

The two lines we're going to use to add these rules are:

```command
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
```

As you can see, these are very similar to our first rule, but perhaps more simple. The new options are:

* **-p tcp**: This option matches packets if the protocol being used is TCP. This is a connection-based protocol that will be used by most applications because it allows for reliable communication.
* **--dport**: This option is available if the `-p tcp` flag is given. It gives a further requirement of matching the destination port for the matching packet. The first rule matches for TCP packets destined for port 22, while the second rule matches TCP traffic pointed towards port 80.

There is one more accept rule that we need to ensure that our server can function correctly. Often, services on the computer communicate with each other by sending network packets to each other. They do this by utilizing a pseudo network interface called the `loopback device`, which directs traffic back to itself rather than to other computers.

So if one service wants to communicate with another service that is listening for connections on port 4555, it can send a packet to port 4555 of the loopback device. We want this type of behavior to be allowed, because it is essential for the correct operation of many programs.

The rule we need to add is this:

```command
sudo iptables -I INPUT 1 -i lo -j ACCEPT
```

This looks a bit different than our other commands. Let's go over what it is doing:

* **-I INPUT 1**: The `-I` flag tells iptables to *insert* a rule. This is different than the `-A` flag which appends a rule to the end. The `-I` flag takes a chain and the rule position where you want to insert the new rule.

 In this case, we're adding this rule as the very first rule of the INPUT chain. This will bump the rest of the rules down. We want this at the top because it is fundamental and should not be affected by subsequent rules.
* **-i lo**: This component of the rule matches if the interface that the packet is using is the "lo" interface. The "lo" interface is another name for the loopback device. This means that any packet using that interface to communicate (packets generated on our server, for our server) should be accepted.

To see our current rules, we should use the `-S` flag. This is because the `-L` flag doesn't include some information, like the interface that a rule is tied to, which is an important part of the rule we just added:

```command
sudo iptables -S
```

```
[secondary_label Output:]
-P INPUT ACCEPT
-P FORWARD ACCEPT
-P OUTPUT ACCEPT
-A INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
-A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate RELATED,ESTABLISHED -j ACCEPT
-A INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT
-A INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
```

## Implementing a Drop Rule

We now have four separate rules that explicitly accept packets based on certain criteria. However, our firewall currently is not blocking *anything*.

If a packet enters the INPUT chain and doesn't match one of the four rules that we made, it is being passed to our default policy, which is to accept the packet anyways. We need to change this.

There are two different ways that we can do this, with some pretty important differences.

The first way we could do this is to modify the default policy of our INPUT chain. We can do this by typing:

```command
sudo iptables -P INPUT DROP
```

This will catch any packets that fall through our INPUT chain, and drop them. This is what we call a default drop policy. One of the implications of this type of a design is that it falls back on dropping packets if the rules are flushed.

This may be more secure, but also can have serious consequences if you don't have another way of accessing your server. With DigitalOcean, you can log in through our web console to get access to your server if this happens. The web console acts as a virtual local connection, so iptables rules will not affect it.

You may like your server to automatically drop all connections in the event that the rules are dumped. This would prevent your server from being left wide open. This also means that you can easily append rules to the bottom of the chain easily while still dropping packets as you'd like.

The alternative approach is to keep the default policy for the chain as accept and add a rule that drops every remaining packet to the bottom of the chain itself.

If you changed the default policy for the INPUT chain above, you can set it back to follow along by typing:

```command
sudo iptables -P INPUT ACCEPT
```

Now, you can add a rule to the bottom of the chain that will drop any remaining packets:

```command
sudo iptables -A INPUT -j DROP
```

The result under normal operating conditions is exactly the same as a default drop policy. This rule works by matching *every* remaining packet that reaches it. This prevents a packet from *ever* dropping all of the way through the chain to reach the default policy.

Basically, this is used to keep the default policy to accept traffic. That way, if there are any problems and the rules are flushed, you will still be able to access the machine over the network. This is a way of implementing a default action without altering the policy that will be applied to an empty chain.

Of course, this also means that any rule that any additional rule that you wish to add to the end of the chain will have to be added before the drop rule. You can do this either by temporarily removing the drop rule:

```command
sudo iptables -D INPUT -j DROP
sudo iptables -A INPUT <^>new_rule_here<^>
sudo iptables -A INPUT -j DROP
```

Or, you can insert rules that you need at the end of the chain (but prior to the drop) by specifying the line number. To insert a rule at line number 4, you could type:

```command
sudo iptables -I INPUT 4 <^>new_rule_here<^>
```

If you are having trouble knowing which line number each rule is, you can tell iptables to number the rules by typing:

```command
sudo iptables -L --line-numbers
```

```
[secondary_label Output:]
Chain INPUT (policy DROP)
num target prot opt source destination 
1 ACCEPT all -- anywhere anywhere 
2 ACCEPT all -- anywhere anywhere ctstate RELATED,ESTABLISHED
3 ACCEPT tcp -- anywhere anywhere tcp dpt:ssh
4 ACCEPT tcp -- anywhere anywhere tcp dpt:http

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)
num target prot opt source destination 

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
num target prot opt source destination
```

This can be helpful to make sure you are adding your rule at the appropriate position.

## Listing and Deleting Iptables Rules

If you want to learn the details about listing and deleting iptables rules, check out this tutorial: [How To List and Delete Iptables Firewall Rules](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-list-and-delete-iptables-firewall-rules).

## Saving your Iptables Configuration

By default, the rules that you add to iptables are ephemeral. This means that when you restart your server, your iptables rules will be gone.

This is actually a feature for some user because it gives them an avenue to get back in if they have accidentally locked themselves out of the server. However, most users will want a way to automatically save the rules you have created and to load them when the server starts.

There are a few ways to do this, but the easiest way is with the `iptables-persistent` package. You can download this from Ubuntu's default repositories:
 
```command
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install iptables-persistent
```

During the installation, you will be asked if you would like to save your current rules to be automatically loaded. If you are happy with your current configuration (and you have tested your ability to create independent SSH connections, you can select to save your current rules.

It will also ask you if you want to save the IPv6 rules that you have configured. These are configured through a separate utility called `ip6tables` which controls the flow of IPv6 packets in almost the same way.

Once the installation is complete, you will have a new service called `iptables-persistent` that is configured to run at boot. This service will load in your rules and apply them when the server is started.

### Saving Updates

If you ever update your firewall and want to preserve the changes, you must save your iptables rules for them to be persistent.

Save your firewall rules with this command:

```command
sudo invoke-rc.d iptables-persistent save
```

## Conclusion

You should now have a good starting point to developing a firewall that addresses your needs. There are many other firewall utilities and some that may be easier, but `iptables` is a good learning tool, if only because it exposes some of the underlying netfilter structure and because it is present in so many systems.

To learn more about securing your network with iptables, check out these tutorials:

- [How To Implement a Basic Firewall Template with Iptables on Ubuntu 14.04](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-implement-a-basic-firewall-template-with-iptables-on-ubuntu-14-04)
- [Iptables Essentials: Common Firewall Rules and Commands](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/iptables-essentials-common-firewall-rules-and-commands)
- [How To Set Up an Iptables Firewall to Protect Traffic Between your Servers](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-set-up-an-iptables-firewall-to-protect-traffic-between-your-servers)
- [A Deep Dive into Iptables and Netfilter Architecture](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/a-deep-dive-into-iptables-and-netfilter-architecture)
- [How To Test your Firewall Configuration with Nmap and Tcpdump](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-test-your-firewall-configuration-with-nmap-and-tcpdump)

The iptables firewall is a great way to secure your Linux server.  In this guide, we'll discuss how to configure iptables rules on an Ubuntu 14.04 server.



How To Set Up a Firewall Using Iptables on Ubuntu 14.04

Sign up for Infrastructure as a Newsletter.

Working on improving health and education, reducing inequality, and spurring economic growth? DigitalOcean would like to help.

Working on improving health and education, reducing inequality, and spurring economic growth? We'd like to help.

Get paid to write technical tutorials and select a tech-focused charity to receive a matching donation.

You get paid; we donate to tech nonprofits.

DigitalOcean makes it simple to launch in the cloud and scale up as you grow – whether you’re running one virtual machine or ten thousand.