How to enable mod_evasive with Apache on Linux Cloud Servers

2020-09-03 By Mark 9073 Views linux apache mod_evasive security development

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Mod_evasive is a module for Apache that automatically detects an HTTP DDOS attack or brute force attack. Mod_evasive can log and report abuse and notify problems via email. Before enabling this module, the server must be installed with LAMP.

This guide outlines the basic steps to enable mod_evasive on different Linux distributions.

To enable mod_evasive on CentOS / Fedora

Install httpd-devel with the below command.
```
# yum install httpd-devel
```

Install the epel-release repository by using the below command.

# wget http://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm

# rpm -ivh epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm

modevasive2

Now proceed with the installation of mod_evasive with the below command.
```
# yum install mod_evasive
```
Open the configuration file /etc/httpd/conf.d/mod_evasive.conf in any editor and search for the DOSEmailNotify. Once it is found, remove the # sign, then replace the mail address.
```
Include conf.modules.d/*.conf
```
NOTE: Replace the mail address with the original mail address.

Also, remove the comment tag from the following entries and save the file, and exit.
```
DOSHashTableSize 3097
DOSPageCount 2
DOSSiteCount 50
DOSPageInterval 1
DOSSiteInterval 1
DOSBlockingPeriod 10
DOSLogDir  "/var/lock/mod_evasive"
```
Reload the Apache with the below command.
```
# service httpd restart
```
Make sure with the below command that the module is loaded into Apache.
```
# httpd -M | grep evasive
```

To enable mod_evasive on Ubuntu / Debian

Update the server with the below command.
```
# apt update
```
Install apache2-utils by using the below command.
```
# apt install apache2-utils
```
To install the mod_evasive module on Debian / Ubuntu, run the below command and select Ok and choose your configuration.
```
# apt install libapache2-mod-evasive
```
If unsure, select No configuration or Local only.

Open the configuration file /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/evasive.conf in an editor and Remove the comment tag from the following entries and save the file and exit.
```
# vi /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/evasive.conf
```
```
DOSHashTableSize 3097
DOSPageCount 2
DOSSiteCount 50
DOSPageInterval 1
DOSSiteInterval 1
DOSBlockingPeriod 10
DOSLogDir  "/var/lock/mod_evasive"
DOSEmailNotify  [email protected]
```
NOTE: Replace the mail address with the original mail address.
Reload the Apache with the below command.
```
# service apache2 start
```
Make sure with the below command that the module is loaded into Apache.
```
# apache2ctl -M | grep evasive
```

How to enable mod_evasive with Apache on Linux Cloud Servers

To enable mod_evasive on CentOS / Fedora

To enable mod_evasive on Ubuntu / Debian

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