How to Install and Configure WF Security Pack QuicklyWF Security Pack is a compact security suite designed to protect web applications and servers with minimal overhead. This guide walks you through a fast, practical installation and configuration process so you can get protection running reliably in hours, not days. It covers pre-install checks, step-by-step installation, core configuration, common customizations, basic troubleshooting, and maintenance tips.
Before you start — prerequisites and planning
- System requirements: Ensure your server meets WF Security Pack’s requirements (OS, RAM, disk). Typical minimum: 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, 10 GB free disk, and a supported OS (Linux distributions like Ubuntu 20.04+ or CentOS 8+).
- Backups: Create a configuration and system backup snapshot before making changes.
- Access: You need root or sudo access to install system packages and edit configurations.
- Dependencies: Confirm required packages are available (e.g., web server like Nginx/Apache, Python/Node runtime if applicable, database if WF uses one).
- Network considerations: Open necessary firewall ports for management and service traffic; whitelist monitoring IPs if used.
- Licensing & keys: Have license keys or activation credentials ready if WF Security Pack requires registration.
Quick-install options
WF Security Pack typically offers two installation paths: an automated installer (recommended for speed) and manual installation (for advanced customization).
Automated installer (fastest):
- Download the installer script from the official source:
- curl -fsSL https://example.com/wf-installer.sh -o wf-installer.sh
- Inspect the script quickly:
- less wf-installer.sh
- Run with sudo:
- sudo bash wf-installer.sh –non-interactive
- Follow any prompts or check output for confirmation (service names, ports, and user accounts created).
Manual install (more control):
- Download the package (tar/zip or .deb/.rpm).
- Install dependencies:
- On Debian/Ubuntu:
- sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nginx python3 python3-venv
- On RHEL/CentOS:
- sudo dnf install -y nginx python3
- On Debian/Ubuntu:
- Extract and install:
- tar xzf wf-security-pack-x.y.z.tar.gz
- cd wf-security-pack-x.y.z
- sudo ./install.sh
- Create and enable service unit (systemd) if installer didn’t:
- Create /etc/systemd/system/wf-security.service with appropriate ExecStart.
- sudo systemctl daemon-reload
- sudo systemctl enable –now wf-security
Initial configuration — essential settings to secure and run
After installation, complete these core steps quickly to have a secure baseline.
-
Activate license / register:
- wf-cli register –license YOUR_LICENSE_KEY
- Confirm with wf-cli status
-
Configure network and ports:
- Edit /etc/wf-security/config.yml (or GUI) to set bind address, ports, and trusted proxies.
- Use loopback (127.0.0.1) when fronting with a reverse proxy.
-
Set admin credentials and MFA:
- wf-cli admin create –user admin –email [email protected]
- Enable MFA for admin accounts: wf-cli admin mfa enable
-
Integrate with web server:
- For Nginx reverse proxy, add a site config that proxies traffic to WF’s internal port and sets proper headers (X-Forwarded-For, X-Forwarded-Proto).
- Ensure TLS termination at Nginx or load balancer; use Let’s Encrypt for quick free certificates.
-
Baseline policies:
- Import default rule set: wf-cli rules import defaults
- Set detection mode initially, then switch to blocking after monitoring:
- wf-cli mode set detection
- After 24–72 hours of logs: wf-cli mode set blocking
-
Logging & retention:
- Point logs to a centralized log collector (syslog, ELK, or hosted SIEM).
- Configure retention and rotation in /etc/logrotate.d/wf-security.
Quick performance & security tweaks
- Resource limits: Configure process limits and memory caps in systemd unit (LimitNOFILE, MemoryMax) to prevent resource exhaustion.
- Cache & rate limits: Enable response caching and connection rate limiting for public endpoints to reduce load.
- Whitelists & blacklists: Immediately whitelist internal IP ranges and block known-bad IPs. Use CIDR notation for ranges.
- Auto-updates: Enable automatic security updates for the WF agent only after testing in staging to avoid unexpected behavior.
Common post-install tasks
- Run an initial scan/assessment:
- wf-cli scan –full
- Review findings, prioritize fixes.
- Configure alerts:
- wf-cli alerts create –type email –to [email protected] –severity high
- Set up scheduled rule updates:
- wf-cli rules update –schedule daily
- Health checks: Add a monitoring probe to ensure the service responds on its health endpoint.
Troubleshooting quick checklist
If installation or startup fails:
- Check journal logs:
- sudo journalctl -u wf-security -b –no-pager
- Verify port binding conflicts:
- sudo ss -tulpn | grep LISTEN
- Confirm dependencies and runtime versions:
- python3 –version (or node –version)
- File permissions:
- Ensure config and cert files are readable by the wf user.
- Re-run installer in verbose mode for details:
- sudo bash wf-installer.sh –verbose
Maintenance and hardening (next steps)
- Move from detection to blocking after observing false-positive rates < 5% for 72 hours.
- Regularly review rule updates and change logs before auto-applying.
- Implement role-based access control (RBAC) and audit logging for admin actions.
- Backup configuration and keys regularly; store offline.
- Periodically run performance tuning after traffic changes (increase worker counts, adjust caches).
Example commands summary
curl -fsSL https://example.com/wf-installer.sh -o wf-installer.sh sudo bash wf-installer.sh --non-interactive wf-cli register --license YOUR_LICENSE_KEY wf-cli admin create --user admin --email [email protected] wf-cli rules import defaults wf-cli mode set detection sudo systemctl enable --now wf-security If you want, I can tailor this guide to your OS (Ubuntu/CentOS), web server (Nginx/Apache), or provide an automated install script customized for your environment.
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