July 17, 2025
Why Do We Need Centralized Logging? Making Sense of Log Chaos
We’ve already discussed the importance of metrics monitoring for understanding the health of your IT infrastructure. But metrics are only part of the picture. To truly understand what’s happening inside your systems and applications, you need logs.
Logs are records of events generated by operating systems, applications, network devices, and nearly any software component. They capture what, when, where, and why something happened. Think of them as the “black box” of your infrastructure — an invaluable source of information for debugging, auditing, and incident investigation.
July 16, 2025
In a world where cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, protecting remote access to servers and network equipment is of paramount importance. Simply opening ports for SSH, RDP, or web interfaces makes them targets for constant scanning and brute-force attacks.
Today, we’ll explore a powerful yet lesser-known technique that significantly improves the security of your MikroTik (and not only): Port Knocking. It’s not just about “closing ports,” but a smart system that makes your services invisible to most scanners and bots.
July 15, 2025
In the world of Linux and networking technologies, there are many subtle but critically important kernel settings. One such setting is rp_filter. This parameter, often overlooked, plays a key role in network security and correct packet routing. Let’s explore what it is, how it works, and why understanding it is essential for every system administrator.
What is rp_filter?
rp_filter stands for Reverse Path Filtering. It’s a Linux kernel mechanism that checks incoming network packets to verify whether they arrived on the interface through which a reply to the sender’s IP address would be routed.
July 14, 2025
Losing access to the WordPress administrator account can be a real headache. Sometimes, standard password recovery methods (via email) don’t work, especially if:
- You forgot both your login and password.
- The site’s mail sending function (
wp_mail) is broken. - The WordPress admin panel is broken or unavailable.
- The only access left is to the database (via MySQL client, phpMyAdmin, WP-CLI, etc.).
In this article, we’ll walk through a reliable and secure way to find the WordPress administrator directly in the database and reset their password using SQL. We’ll follow DevSecOps best practices to avoid breaking serialized data and minimize risks.
July 11, 2025
Introduction: UniFi – An Ecosystem for Modern Networks
In the world of business networking, many solutions exist—but few offer the same level of integration, management simplicity, and aesthetics as the UniFi product line from American company Ubiquiti Networks. Unlike the more “bare-bones” approach of Mikrotik, UniFi is designed for building a unified, centrally managed ecosystem. This makes it especially appealing to small and medium-sized businesses that value not just performance, but also ease of deployment, monitoring, and scalability.
July 10, 2025
Introduction: Mikrotik – More Than Just a Router
When it comes to networking hardware for home or small offices, most people think of consumer-grade routers like those from TP-Link, ASUS, or D-Link. However, there’s a category of devices offering far more flexibility, features, and control—while remaining affordable. We’re talking about Mikrotik, a Latvian company known for its wide range of networking gear, especially routers and switches.
What truly sets Mikrotik apart isn’t just the hardware, but its operating system — RouterOS. This powerful software transforms ordinary devices into versatile tools capable of handling tasks usually reserved for far more expensive enterprise solutions.
July 7, 2025
Introduction to FastPanel
In the market of free server control panels, FastPanel stands out as a powerful and modern solution offering a wide range of features without compromising on performance. Unlike lightweight options aimed at minimal setups, FastPanel seeks to deliver full functionality comparable to paid alternatives, while remaining free for personal use and small projects. If you’re looking for a panel that combines rich features, high performance, and an intuitive interface to manage your VPS or dedicated server, FastPanel is an excellent choice.
July 6, 2025
Introduction to Hestia Control Panel
If you’re looking for a powerful, modern, and completely free control panel for your VPS or dedicated server, Hestia Control Panel (HestiaCP) is one of the best options available. HestiaCP is a fork of the once-popular but now inactive VestaCP and is actively developed by the community. It offers an excellent feature set focused on performance and security. It’s a perfect fit for individual developers, freelancers, small businesses, and anyone who wants full control over their server without extra costs.
July 5, 2025
Introduction to ISPmanager
ISPmanager is one of the most well-known and widely used web hosting control panels, especially in the Russian and CIS markets. Developed by ISPsystem, it offers a powerful and comprehensive set of tools for server administration and web project management. ISPmanager is a paid product, but its functionality and reliability justify the investment for many users and hosting providers. It’s designed for those looking for a stable, proven solution with extensive capabilities.
July 4, 2025
Introduction: Why Do You Need a Website Control Panel?
Imagine you’ve bought a piece of land and built a house on it (your website). Now you need to manage the house: connect electricity (domains), install plumbing (databases), set up security (SSL certificates), maintain order (files), and even let tenants in (FTP users). You could do all of this manually, but it’s complex, time-consuming, and requires specialized skills.
This is where website control panels come in. These are graphical web interfaces that significantly simplify the process of managing your web server and all the components needed to run a website. Instead of entering complex terminal commands, you simply click buttons and fill out forms in a user-friendly browser interface.
June 25, 2025
VPNCloud: Building Your Private Network in the Cloud
In a world where more and more services are moving to the cloud and remote work has become the norm, secure and private access to your resources is more important than ever. Traditional VPN services, while solving some problems, are often centralized and may not be the most flexible solution for creating your own secure network between multiple servers, devices, or even offices.
June 19, 2025
In today’s internet-driven world, where data constantly travels between millions of devices, it’s often not enough to establish a direct connection — you may need a “middleman.” That’s where a proxy server comes in. It acts as a bridge between you (the client) and the destination resource (server), handling network requests on your behalf. Understanding how proxies work is critical for network security, optimization, and access management.
What is a Proxy Server?
A proxy server (from the English proxy — representative, intermediary) is a server in a computer network that acts as an intermediary between a user (client) and other internet servers. All client requests go through the proxy first, which then forwards them to the destination server. Responses from the destination server also return to the proxy first before being sent back to the client.
June 18, 2025
Continuing our series on choosing a password manager, let’s now take a closer look at Bitwarden. This tool stands out from the competition thanks to its openness, flexibility, and the unique option to self-host, giving you maximum control over your data.
Bitwarden: Your Choice Between Cloud and Self-Hosting
Bitwarden is a popular, open-source password manager that strikes an excellent balance of security, functionality, and affordability. It offers users two main deployment options:
June 17, 2025
In the first part of our series, we looked at why password managers are essential tools for digital security and organization. Now let’s dive into specific solutions, starting with Dashlane — a popular choice for those seeking a balance between ease of use, powerful features, and a ready-to-go cloud service.
Dashlane: Your Trusted Companion in the World of Passwords
Dashlane is one of the leading password managers on the market, known for its intuitive interface and rich feature set. It functions as a fully cloud-based solution: your encrypted password database is stored on Dashlane’s servers and accessed via easy-to-use apps and browser extensions across all your devices.
June 16, 2025
In today’s world, whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a large company, you interact daily with dozens — even hundreds — of online services. Email, social media, banking apps, CRM systems, advertising platforms — each requires a password. And here comes the serious dilemma: how do you remember all these passwords while keeping them secure?
Many take the path of least resistance: simple passwords, reusing the same combinations, jotting them down on sticky notes. This is a direct route to trouble.