Ubuntu powers over 60% of cloud VPS instances. That makes it the most targeted Linux distribution. Defensia detects and blocks attacks automatically — before you even know they started.
Install on Ubuntu in 30 seconds →sshd[4821]: Failed password for root from 185.220.101.7 port 43992 ssh2
sshd[4823]: Invalid user admin from 45.83.64.11 port 55120 ssh2
sshd[4825]: pam_unix(sshd:auth): authentication failure; rhost=103.145.13.90
sshd[4827]: Failed password for invalid user ubuntu from 92.118.39.18 port 22180
sshd[4830]: Disconnected from authenticating user root 45.83.64.11 port 38204 [preauth]
… thousands more today. Every Ubuntu server gets this.
Ubuntu is the #1 Linux distribution on every major cloud provider — DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, Linode, and AWS all default to Ubuntu images. With over 60% market share on cloud VPS, it is also the most targeted by automated botnets. Every new Ubuntu droplet, instance, or VPS receives its first SSH brute force attempt within minutes of going online.
Ubuntu ships with sensible defaults — ufw is preinstalled, AppArmor is enabled, and unattended-upgrades handles security patches. But none of these detect or block active attacks in real time. A firewall blocks ports; it does not detect a bot trying 10,000 passwords on port 22. AppArmor confines processes; it does not scan for web shells in your upload directories. You need an active layer that watches, detects, and responds.
Every "How to secure Ubuntu" guide lists the same manual steps. Defensia handles the critical ones automatically with a single command.
| Security step | Manual (Ubuntu guide) | Defensia |
|---|---|---|
| Enable UFW firewall | ufw enable + rules | Adds intelligent blocking on top |
| Block SSH brute force | apt install fail2ban + config | ✓ |
| Auto security updates | unattended-upgrades config | CVE scanning + alerts |
| Detect web exploits (WAF) | ModSecurity + OWASP CRS | ✓ |
| Scan for malware | apt install clamav + cron | ✓ |
| Audit system security | apt install lynis + manual review | ✓ |
| Real-time attack dashboard | Not available | ✓ |
| Multi-server management | Not available | ✓ |
| Geoblocking by country | iptables + GeoIP database | ✓ |
| Rootkit detection | rkhunter + chkrootkit | ✓ |
| Slack / email / Discord alerts | Custom scripts | ✓ |
| Security posture score | Not available | ✓ |
Manual hardening is valuable but incomplete. UFW blocks ports — it does not detect a bot testing credentials on an open SSH port. fail2ban handles SSH — it does not detect SQL injection in your nginx logs. ClamAV scans files — it misses obfuscated PHP shells. Defensia covers all of these from a single agent.
No apt install prerequisites. No PPAs. No repository keys to add. Just one command:
# What happens on Ubuntu:
1. Downloads the Go binary (~15MB) for your architecture (amd64 or arm64)
2. Installs to /usr/local/bin/defensia-agent
3. Creates a systemd service unit
4. Auto-detects /var/log/auth.log (Ubuntu SSH log)
5. Auto-detects nginx/Apache access logs if present
6. Starts protecting immediately — no config files to edit
The agent is a single Go binary with zero dependencies. It does not require Python, Ruby, Java, or any runtime. Works on Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Minimal, and Ubuntu Desktop with SSH enabled. The install script detects your Ubuntu version automatically and ensures compatibility with iptables, ipset, and systemd.
The agent reads Ubuntu-specific log paths and system data to detect attacks across every surface.
Ubuntu logs SSH events to /var/log/auth.log (not /var/log/secure like RHEL). Defensia auto-detects this path and monitors 15 SSH attack patterns: failed passwords, invalid users, pre-auth disconnects, PAM failures, and kex negotiation drops.
Deep dive into SSH protection →Reads nginx and Apache access logs to detect SQL injection, XSS, path traversal, RCE, SSRF, and 10+ more OWASP attack types. Zero configuration — log paths are auto-detected on Ubuntu.
See WAF detection details →Scans the filesystem with 64,000+ hash signatures and 684 dynamic patterns. Detects PHP backdoors in upload directories, obfuscated shells, cryptominers, and suspicious executables in /tmp and /dev/shm.
Matches installed apt packages against the NVD database with EPSS probability scores and CISA KEV urgency flags. Alerts you when a package on your Ubuntu server has a known exploited vulnerability.
70+ bot fingerprints identified from User-Agent strings and request patterns. Legitimate bots (Googlebot, Bingbot) are allowed; vulnerability scanners and credential stuffing bots are blocked.
If Docker is installed on your Ubuntu server, Defensia detects the Docker version, running containers, and web containers. Reads container logs for attack detection across all services.
Canonical offers Ubuntu Pro with ESM (Extended Security Maintenance) and Livepatch for kernel updates without reboots. It is a solid patching solution — but it is not a security monitoring tool. Defensia and Ubuntu Pro operate at different layers and complement each other.
| Capability | Ubuntu Pro | Defensia |
|---|---|---|
| Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kernel Livepatch (no reboot) | ✓ | ✗ |
| FIPS 140-2 compliance | ✓ | ✗ |
| SSH brute force detection & blocking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Web Application Firewall (WAF) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Real-time attack dashboard | ✗ | ✓ |
| Malware scanner (64K+ signatures) | ✗ | ✓ |
| CVE scanning with EPSS + CISA KEV | ✗ | ✓ |
| Geoblocking (200+ countries) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bot management (70+ fingerprints) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Security posture score (0-100) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-server management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Slack / email / Discord alerts | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price (1 server) | Free (personal) | Free |
Ubuntu Pro keeps your system patched. Defensia detects and blocks attacks in real time. Run both for the strongest Ubuntu security posture. Ubuntu Pro is free for personal use (up to 5 machines). Defensia is free for 1 server.
Defensia supports all currently maintained Ubuntu LTS releases and their variants.
Requires: iptables + systemd + root access. Recommended: ipset. Also works on Ubuntu-based distributions like Linux Mint Server.
Looking for other distributions? Defensia also supports Debian, CentOS, RHEL, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, and Fedora.
Free tier covers the essentials. Pro adds deeper security intelligence.
15 patterns. Auto-reads /var/log/auth.log on Ubuntu.
OWASP attack detection from nginx/Apache logs. Zero config.
Live event feed, charts, ban timeline, all servers in one view.
64K+ hash signatures. Web shells, cryptominers, rootkit checks.
Scans apt packages against NVD + CISA KEV + EPSS scores.
Block entire countries at the firewall level. Per-server policy.
0-100 score (A-F grade). SSH, firewall, file perms, credentials.
70+ bot fingerprints. Allow, log, or block per policy.
Slack, email, Discord, and webhook notifications on attacks.
Start with the basics: enable UFW, disable root password SSH login, configure unattended-upgrades for automatic security patches, and enable AppArmor. Then install Defensia for active attack detection — it monitors auth.log for SSH brute force, reads nginx/Apache logs for web exploits, scans for malware, and checks for CVE vulnerabilities. One command installs everything: curl -fsSL https://defensia.cloud/install.sh | sudo bash.
Yes. Defensia supports Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat), Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy), and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal). The agent auto-detects your Ubuntu version, locates /var/log/auth.log, and starts protecting immediately. It also supports Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Minimal, and ARM64 variants (AWS Graviton, Hetzner CAX).
Yes, keep UFW enabled. UFW handles static port-level rules — blocking unused ports, limiting access to specific IPs. Defensia adds dynamic, intelligent blocking on top: it detects attack patterns in real time and blocks offending IPs via ipset. They work at different layers and complement each other. Defensia never modifies your UFW rules.
Yes. Defensia covers all fail2ban SSH detection patterns plus adds a WAF (15+ OWASP attack types from nginx/Apache logs), malware scanner (64K+ signatures), CVE scanning, geoblocking, bot management, a real-time web dashboard, and multi-server management. fail2ban only monitors SSH and requires manual jail configuration. Defensia auto-detects everything.
They do different things. Ubuntu Pro provides Extended Security Maintenance (10-year security patches), kernel Livepatch (no reboot updates), and FIPS compliance. Defensia provides active threat detection: SSH brute force blocking, WAF, malware scanning, CVE alerts, and a real-time dashboard. Use both together for the strongest Ubuntu security posture. Both offer a free tier.
Yes. The free plan includes 1 server with SSH protection, the full real-time dashboard, and bot detection. The agent is MIT licensed and open source on GitHub. Pro (EUR 9/server/month or EUR 7 billed annually) adds WAF, malware scanning, CVE intelligence, geoblocking, and alerts. No control panel or additional license required.
Ubuntu market share data based on W3Techs Linux distribution usage statistics (2026) and cloud provider default image reports from DigitalOcean, Hetzner, and AWS.
Attack frequency and time-to-first-attack metrics based on Defensia telemetry data across 9 production Ubuntu servers monitored from January to April 2026.
Ubuntu Pro feature comparison based on Canonical's official Ubuntu Pro documentation (ubuntu.com/pro) as of April 2026.
CVE and vulnerability data sourced from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and EPSS scoring.
Complete guide for all Linux distributions.
15 detection patterns, ipset blocking.
OWASP attack detection from server logs.
Full comparison: fail2ban vs Defensia.
Docker, Swarm, and Kubernetes native.
No YAML configs, built-in dashboard.
One command. Under 30 seconds. Works on Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, and 24.04 LTS.
No credit card required. Free for 1 server.