From 'Wide Open' to 'Locked Down': My Homelab Security Journey

From 'Wide Open' to 'Locked Down': My Homelab Security Journey

Hey fellow tech enthusiasts! Let's talk about something that probably hits close to home for many of us: the sheer joy of building out a homelab. The excitement of spinning up new VMs, containers, and services is truly unparalleled. For a long time, I was in that blissful state, just building, creating, and experimenting. My homelab was my digital playground, a place where I could break things without major real-world consequences (or so I thought!).

The 'Oh Crap' Moment: Realizing Everything Was Wide Open

It started subtly. I was chatting with a friend, a seasoned network engineer, about some cool new service I'd set up. I casually mentioned how I could access it from anywhere, just by hitting my public IP. He paused, then asked, "You're not just port forwarding everything, are you?" My reply? "Uh... mostly?"

That conversation was my wake-up call. It led me down a rabbit hole of self-discovery, starting with a simple online port scanner. The results were terrifying: dozens of open ports, services exposed directly to the internet, and a general sense of, well, vulnerability. My initial excitement turned into a cold sweat. My playground was, in fact, a wide-open target.

The Security Overhaul: My Plan of Attack

Panic quickly gave way to a determination to learn and fix. I realized that while I loved building applications, my networking and security fundamentals were severely lacking. Here's how I tackled securing my homelab:

1. The Mighty Firewall: pfSense to the Rescue

My first and most crucial step was to replace my ISP-provided router with a dedicated firewall appliance running pfSense. This was a game-changer. Suddenly, I had granular control over all inbound and outbound traffic. My default rule became: deny all incoming traffic unless explicitly allowed.

• Challenge: Understanding firewall rules, NAT, and port forwarding was initially overwhelming. I broke internet access a few times!

• Lesson Learned: Start simple, test, and iterate. Documentation is your friend.

2. Network Segmentation with VLANs

Exposing everything on a single flat network was a huge risk. If one service was compromised, the attacker would have a direct path to everything else. The solution? VLANs!

• Management VLAN: For my core network gear (switches, APs, firewall).

• Server VLAN: For my Proxmox hosts, NAS, and other backend services.

• IoT VLAN: For all my smart home devices (isolated and with strict internet access).

• Guest VLAN: For visitors, completely isolated from my internal network.

This required a managed switch and a bit of re-cabling, but the peace of mind was worth it. Now, if my smart fridge gets hacked, it won't take down my entire server rack.

3. VPN for Remote Access (No More Direct Port Forwards!)

The biggest sin I committed was direct port forwarding for remote access. I quickly set up an OpenVPN server on my pfSense box. Now, when I need to access my homelab from outside, I establish a VPN connection, which essentially places my device securely inside my network. This eliminated the need to open ports like SSH, web GUIs, or other service ports directly to the internet.

4. Strong Authentication & Service Hardening

• SSH Keys: Password authentication for SSH was disabled across all my Linux servers. Only SSH keys are allowed.

• 2FA Everywhere: Wherever possible (Proxmox, NAS, cloud services), I enabled Two-Factor Authentication.

• Default Ports & Credentials: Changed all default ports (e.g., SSH from 22 to something else) and, of course, updated all default usernames and passwords.

• Disable Unnecessary Services: If a service wasn't strictly needed, it was disabled. Less attack surface is always better.

5. Regular Updates & Monitoring

Security isn't a one-time setup; it's an ongoing process. I established a routine for:

• Patching: Keeping all operating systems, firmware, and applications up-to-date.

• Logging: Configuring centralized logging (e.g., to my NAS or a dedicated syslog server) to review potential anomalies.

• Intrusion Detection/Prevention (IDS/IPS): Enabling Suricata on pfSense to monitor for suspicious network activity.

Lessons Learned and Moving Forward

This journey from wide-open to locked-down was incredibly humbling and educational. Here are my biggest takeaways:

• Security by Design: Don't make security an afterthought. Plan for it from the start.

• Defense in Depth: No single solution is perfect. Layering multiple security controls provides much stronger protection.

• Assume Breach: Always consider what happens if one layer fails. How will you contain it?

• Continuous Learning: The threat landscape is constantly evolving. Stay curious, keep learning, and regularly review your security posture.

• The Homelab is a Learning Tool: My homelab isn't just for running services; it's a fantastic environment to learn real-world IT skills, especially in networking and security.

If you're reading this and feeling a pang of recognition about your own homelab, don't worry! It's never too late to start securing your environment. The initial learning curve can be steep, but the knowledge gained and the peace of mind are absolutely invaluable. Happy (and secure) homelabbing!