How To Change Your SSH Port
Change Your SSH Port In Web Host Manager
By default, SSH listens on port 22. This is the first thing a potential attacker is going to try.
I recommend changing this to a random four-digit number such as 5622.
To do this, you have to first open the port in the CSF firewall:
- Login to Web Host Manager
- Click on Configure Firewall and Security
- Click on Firewall Configuration
- Enter 5622 in the TCP_IN field
- Click on Change at the bottom
- Restart CSF
Once the port has been opened in the firewall, you then need to SSH into the server and modify the SSH configuration file.
If you’re using a Mac you can go to Utilities -> Terminal and SSH into your server:
ssh root@192.168.161.1 (replace with your server IP)
Enter your password and type in:
locate sshd_config
Most of the time this is located in /etc/ssh/ – it could be different and mlocate will help you find it.
Once you have the full path to the file, use nano to edit it:
nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Uncomment where it says Port 22 and change this to 5622. Command + X (on a Mac) to exit, type Y (for yes) to save, and then exit.
You then need to start SSH inside of Web Host Manager:
- Login to Web Host Manager
- Click on SSH Server (Open SSH) under Restart Services
Congratulations – your SSH port has now been changed to 5622. It’s important to note, the next time you SSH into your server, you need to us -p to define the port:
ssh -p 5622 root@192.168.1.1 (replace with your server IP)
