BBS Security Questions
reddit / bbs

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Marky_Aurelius · 2021-01-20 05:06

I am looking into running a BBS and as I am new to Networking, there
are all kinds of scary monster stories on the web about hosting any
kind of local server.

I would prefer to set up for SSH access to avoid Telnet "in-the-clear"
communications, but all kinds of (non-BBS) sites list SSH as a major
backdoor security risk.  MITM/proxy services like CloudFlare
specifically forbid it.  Do these risks only apply to remote-access
applications or do they bleed over to BBS servers as well?

BBS systems also seem to attract "script kids" in the spirit of the
early internet, so home network security is a concern.  I would like
to ask for advice on how I can properly set up a firewall and port
forwarding, isolate the BBS server (which would run on its own Linux
box via ethernet to modem/router) from my local wireless network, and
protect my home network once my IP becomes indexed and targeted when a
Domain is registered.  It seems most modern web services are hosted in
the cloud to avoid these kinds of headaches.

All in all, it seems like a daunting task to learn about how to set up
a BBS knowledgeably and all advice is welcome.