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Stop Brute Force Attacks: How I Automated Security with Fail2Ban and Discord

Okay, so I’ve been building out my little homelab over the past few months – servers running Jellyfin for streaming, a Node-RED setup for automation, and a bunch of other cool projects. As you do, you start exposing services to the internet, and suddenly, you realize you need to think about security. Honestly, the whole thing felt a bit overwhelming at first. I was spending hours reading about different security measures, trying to figure out what was important, and generally feeling a bit stressed about it. Then I stumbled across Fail2Ban, and it completely changed my approach.

The Problem: Brute Force Attacks

Basically, I was getting hit with a lot of failed login attempts. These are what we call “brute force attacks.” Attackers are trying to guess usernames and passwords to access my services. It wasn’t a huge deal at first – just a few failed attempts here and there. But I realized that if someone actually *did* get in, it could be pretty serious. Imagine someone trying to access my Jellyfin server and start pushing out malicious content – or worse, gaining control of my entire setup.

Enter Fail2Ban

Fail2Ban is a tool that monitors log files for suspicious activity – like repeated failed login attempts. When it detects something unusual, it automatically blocks the offending IP address. It’s like having a digital bouncer who keeps unwanted guests out. I was particularly interested in its ability to send me notifications about these attacks. Setting it up was surprisingly straightforward, and the best part was that it just… worked. I wasn’t constantly monitoring logs and manually blocking IPs – that’s a huge time-saver.

How I Set It Up (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

Here’s a quick rundown of how I configured it, specifically with Discord notifications:

• Monitors Log Files: Fail2Ban scans my server logs for failed login attempts.
• Automatic Blocking: When it sees too many failures from the same IP address, it automatically blocks that IP.
• Discord Notifications: The most awesome part! It sends me a Discord notification every time an IP is blocked. I set up a simple bot to send me a message with the details.
• Multiple Services: I’ve configured it to protect SSH, my Nginx reverse proxy, and even my Jellyfin server.

The entire setup took me about 30 minutes, including configuring the Discord webhook. I found the official guide here, which was incredibly helpful. It’s well-documented and includes clear instructions for setting up Discord notifications.

Why Discord Notifications?

Honestly, the Discord notifications were the key for me. I didn’t want to spend hours constantly checking my logs. With the notifications, I instantly knew when an attack was happening. It gave me the visibility I needed to react quickly. I’ve seen it block IPs that were attempting attacks for several hours – completely hands-off. It’s a “set it and forget it” solution that has given me a huge sense of security.

What I’m Protecting Now

Currently, Fail2Ban is protecting:

• SSH Server: Blocking brute force attempts on my SSH login.
• Nginx Reverse Proxy: Protecting my web services.
• Vaultwarden: Securing my passwordless authentication.
• Jellyfin: Keeping my streaming service safe.

Next Steps & Expanding the Setup

I’m planning to expand the setup to include other services as I add them to my homelab. I’m also looking into integrating it with other monitoring tools. I’d really like to explore ways to automatically block entire networks instead of just individual IPs – that would be a serious boost to security.

Recommendations & Community

I wanted to share this because it’s been a really valuable tool for me. I’d love to hear from you about how you’re protecting your self-hosted services. What automated security tools do you use? What are your favorite “set it and forget it” security solutions? Let me know in the comments below!