Hardening Linux for Production Use

A standard server or minimal install (CentOS) provides you with a secure server system, but its production usefulness is very limited. To make a server production ready, you’ll have to install software such as web services, DNS, DHCP, Samba/CIFS, print services, and databases. Because these services communicate over the network, security vulnerabilities are an inevitability. Exposing any service provides an attack vector. However, there are actions you can take to protect your systems and your data from attacks