Security Audit & Hardening
Know what's exposed. Fix it methodically.
A structured review of your Linux server, Nginx configuration, and application stack — followed by targeted hardening and a clear, prioritized remediation report you can act on immediately. Delivered by a security audit consultant. Part of MGR Ventures services.
What Gets Audited
Every review covers the attack surface that matters most for production Linux deployments.
Open Ports & Services
Full port scan to inventory every listening service. Unnecessary daemons, exposed admin interfaces, and unintended public-facing ports are flagged for immediate action.
Authentication Controls
SSH key configuration, password policies, sudo rules, PAM settings, and privileged user inventory. Default credentials and overly broad access grants are identified and documented.
Server & App Configs
Nginx virtual host configuration, directory permissions, environment variable exposure, sensitive file access, and application-level security settings reviewed against hardening baselines.
Dependencies & Packages
Installed system packages and application dependencies checked against known CVEs. Outdated runtimes, unpatched libraries, and end-of-life software versions are surfaced with severity context.
HTTP Security Headers
Response header analysis covering HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, Referrer-Policy, and Permissions-Policy. Missing or misconfigured headers are ranked by exploitability and browser support.
TLS & Certificate Health
Protocol versions, cipher suites, certificate expiry, and chain validity. Weak TLS configurations, mixed-content issues, and insecure redirects are documented with specific remediation commands.
Hardening Actions
Audit findings are followed by concrete hardening steps — not just a list of problems.
SSH Hardening
Disable password-based root login, enforce key-only authentication, restrict allowed users, set idle timeout values, and configure fail2ban or equivalent brute-force protection. Each change is verified and documented before handoff.
Firewall Rules
UFW or iptables rulesets scoped to minimum necessary ingress and egress. Default-deny posture, explicit allow rules for required services, rate limiting on public-facing ports, and logging for dropped traffic.
HTTP Security Headers
Nginx configuration blocks added or corrected for HSTS with appropriate max-age, a scoped Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, and Referrer-Policy — tested against real browser behavior.
TLS Configuration
Remove SSLv3, TLS 1.0, and TLS 1.1 support. Enforce strong cipher suite ordering, enable OCSP stapling, and configure HSTS preload eligibility where appropriate. Validated against SSL Labs grading criteria.
Deliverables
You receive concrete documentation, not a generic checklist export.
Audit Report
A structured written report covering every finding: what was observed, why it matters, and the specific risk it creates. Written for technical reviewers and non-technical stakeholders alike.
Prioritized Fix List
Findings ranked by severity and effort — critical issues with active exploitation potential separated clearly from lower-risk configuration improvements. You know exactly where to start.
Verification Steps
For each remediation applied, documented commands and expected outputs so you can confirm the fix is effective, test it independently, or re-verify after future system changes.
Where Security Fits
Security is a cross-cutting concern across application code, infrastructure, and deployment workflow. The audit identifies exposure; other services implement structural fixes.
DevOps & Deployment
Applies server-level protections such as firewall rules, process isolation, TLS configuration, and hardened service configuration after risks are identified.
Backend & API Development
Addresses application-level vulnerabilities including authentication logic, input validation, authorization boundaries, and data exposure.
Web Development
Covers browser-facing protections like secure form handling, dependency hygiene, and safe client-side behavior.
Technical Consulting
Determines risk tolerance, architecture boundaries, and mitigation strategy when security requirements affect product decisions.
Process
Structured, low-disruption, and transparent at every step.
Scoping Call
Review your stack, hosting environment, access method, and any known concerns. Define what's in scope and confirm access credentials needed for the review.
Audit & Analysis
Active enumeration, configuration review, dependency scanning, and header/TLS analysis. Read-only where possible; any changes discussed with you first.
Report & Review
Draft report delivered for your review. Walk through findings together, answer questions, and confirm priorities before any hardening work begins.
Hardening & Verification
Agreed remediations applied and verified. Final report updated with completed fixes, verification commands, and any items deferred for your team.
A practical fit for production servers
This service is well-suited for teams deploying on Linux VPS or cloud instances, running Nginx in front of web apps, and who want a methodical review before go-live — or after a long period without one. It works well alongside ongoing development engagements or as a standalone one-time review.
- You're deploying on a Linux server and haven't done a formal security review.
- Your Nginx config has grown organically and you're not sure what's exposed.
- You need a documented baseline before a compliance review or client audit.
- You want independent verification of hardening steps already taken.
- If you want help implementing the remediation plan, pair this with DevOps & Deployment.
- If findings require architectural tradeoffs (auth, secrets, data boundaries), see Technical Consulting.
- If the issues live in application code, this often overlaps with Backend & API Development.
Request an Audit
Send a brief note describing your stack, hosting environment, and any specific concerns. You'll get a clear scope and timeline estimate — no obligation.
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