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I have dedicated my old MacBook as a home server. It runs, among other stuff, the following services:

  • Webserver (Apache, PHP, MySQL) i.e. OwnCloud/WebDAV
  • Torrent client
  • SSH server
  • VPN
  • Some game servers

Although a MacBook is not the best hardware for the job, this works fine for private use and I have my backups running for the inevitable crash.

To keep unwanted people out, I have a 'normal' firewall and fail2ban running.

Fail2ban scans log files (e.g. /var/log/apache/error_log) and bans IPs that show the malicious signs -- too many password failures, seeking for exploits, etc. Generally Fail2Ban is then used to update firewall rules to reject the IP addresses for a specified amount of time, although any arbitrary other action (e.g. sending an email) could also be configured. Out of the box Fail2Ban comes with filters for various services (apache, courier, ssh, etc).

Setting fail2ban up is done by modifying different configuration files. In these files you can state 'which' log file to scan, what to look for (regex), and, if a match is found, what action to take. But setting it up can be a real hassle and takes hours for a normal guy like myself.

Is there a good GUI or alternative for fail2ban? The main purpose is to block unwanted users from my system. I prefer open-sourced solutions, but I am also willing to pay for good software.

note: I have the 'regular' OS X 10.6.8 running (i.e. I do NOT have OS X Server running)

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  • I have deliberately posted this question here and not on stackoverflow as it is about OS X 10.6.8 specifically.
    – CousinCocaine
    Commented May 25, 2015 at 17:51
  • It would have been off topic on StackOverflow as they is for development/programming questions - Here (or SuperUser) is the correct place
    – mmmmmm
    Commented May 26, 2015 at 12:33
  • This server of yours is not receiving any security updates. OpenSSL and Apache will be dangerously out of date. Consider putting Linux on the machine instead.
    – Daniel
    Commented May 28, 2015 at 13:29
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    @Aeyoun, thanks for your concern. I am aware of the lack of security updates. Running this 'old' version of OS X is more like a personal ambition. But I am not running the default services and I use a combination of self-compiled packages and brew. Thanks anyway for the note.
    – CousinCocaine
    Commented May 28, 2015 at 13:35

1 Answer 1

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You can use fail2web, but, as this is only a frontend to fail2ban, is not easier to use than modifying fail2ban's text files.

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