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I want to turn my old computer into a web server. What security issues are there?

I have an old desktop computer that I would like to turn into a web server. I have installed apache, but I’m reluctant to go any farther because I’m concerned about security.

If I allow this computer to serve files to the internet, will it compromise the other computers on my home LAN? What do I have to watch out for?

You should have a firewall.

It’s not a good Idea to run a windows box as an internet server. You’ll have a lot less security concerns using a Linux distro.

Yes, if they get on your web server, they’re on your network, and getting to other computers would then be trivial. That’s why you need a firewall.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 9:36 pm and is filed under web server. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “I want to turn my old computer into a web server. What security issues are there?”

  1. You should have a firewall.

    It’s not a good Idea to run a windows box as an internet server. You’ll have a lot less security concerns using a Linux distro.

    Yes, if they get on your web server, they’re on your network, and getting to other computers would then be trivial. That’s why you need a firewall.
    References :

  2. agree with above and remember plug it into your modem if possible.
    References :

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