FOSS Endpoint Protection for Tiny Teams

~ Tom's IT Cafe

By DeadSwitch | The Cyber Ghost

“You don’t need a budget. You need a blade.”

They tell you protection requires contracts.
Licensing. Dashboards. Central control.
But control doesn’t come from budget.
It comes from discipline.

Small teams don’t need corporate security.
They need sharpened tools and the will to wield them.

1 – UFW / Firewalld – First Line, Not Last Hope

  • UFW: Simple, default-deny, rule-driven
    sudo ufw default deny incoming
    sudo ufw allow ssh
  • Firewalld: Zones, rich rules, and flexibility for complex setups
    firewall-cmd --set-default-zone=drop

No packets in. No noise out.
A silent machine is a hard target.

2 – Linux Hardening Scripts – Defense as Code

  • Tools like [Lynis], [Debian Hardened], and custom Bash scripts
  • Disable USB, mounting, and kernel modules not in use
  • Strip out cron jobs, disable unused services
  • Audit sudoers, lock su

Hardening is not glamour.
It’s restraint. Precision. Minimalism with teeth.

3 – GRUB Bootloader Password – Guard the Gate

  • Add a boot password to GRUB to prevent kernel-level tampering
  • BIOS/UEFI lock and boot-order lockdown
  • Encrypt initramfs for even tighter boot control

Without boot protection, encryption is decoration.

4 – VeraCrypt – Full Disk, Full Intent

  • Open-source fork of TrueCrypt
  • Proven encryption, plausible deniability
  • Use hidden volumes when needed
  • Keyfiles on removable storage = portable kill switch

When your disk is off, it should tell no stories.
When it’s on, it should still speak in riddles.

DeadSwitch’s Stack for Small-Unit Ghosting

  • UFW or Firewalld – Always
  • Hardened Debian – Nothing else
  • LUKS and/or VeraCrypt full-disk encryption
  • GRUB password with BIOS lock
  • Air-gapped USB backups
  • GPG + KeepassXC for secrets
  • No telemetry. No sync. No trace.

You don’t need an EDR agent when there’s no beacon to follow.

Final Whisper

“Security isn’t bought. It’s built.
Line by line. Layer by layer.
With open tools. And closed mouths.”

– DeadSwitch
“In silence, we rise. In the switch, we fade.”

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