10 OPNsense Best Practices

OPNsense is an open-source, FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform. It is designed to be easy to use and provides a wide range of features for network security, monitoring, and management. OPNsense is a great choice for organizations looking for a secure and reliable firewall solution.

In this article, we will discuss 10 best practices for using OPNsense. We will cover topics such as setting up a secure firewall, configuring access control, and monitoring network traffic. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your network is secure and running optimally.

1. Use a dedicated hardware firewall

A dedicated hardware firewall provides a physical barrier between your network and the internet, which is essential for protecting against malicious attacks. It also allows you to control access to specific services or applications on your network, as well as monitor traffic in real-time.

Using OPNsense with a dedicated hardware firewall gives you an extra layer of security that can help protect your data from unauthorized access. Additionally, it ensures that only authorized users have access to your network, making it more difficult for attackers to gain entry.

2. Set up a DMZ for your public services

A DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) is a network segment that isolates public services from the rest of your internal network. This helps protect your internal systems from malicious attacks, as any attack on the DMZ will be contained and not spread to other parts of your network.

To set up a DMZ in OPNsense, you’ll need to create two separate networks: one for the DMZ and one for the internal network. You’ll then configure firewall rules to allow traffic between the two networks, while blocking all other traffic. Finally, you’ll need to configure NAT rules to forward incoming requests to the appropriate servers in the DMZ. By following these steps, you can ensure that your public services are properly isolated from the rest of your network.

3. Secure the management interface

The management interface is the gateway to your OPNsense system, and it’s where you can configure settings, manage users, and access logs. If someone were to gain unauthorized access to this interface, they could potentially wreak havoc on your network.

To secure the management interface, make sure that you use strong passwords for all user accounts, enable two-factor authentication, and restrict access to only trusted IP addresses. Additionally, consider using a VPN connection when accessing the management interface from outside of your local network. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your OPNsense system remains secure and protected.

4. Configure a separate log server

OPNsense is a powerful firewall and security solution, but it can generate a lot of log data. If you don’t have a separate server to store this data, your OPNsense system will quickly become overwhelmed with logs and performance will suffer.

By configuring a separate log server, you can ensure that all of the log data generated by OPNsense is stored in one place. This makes it easier to review and analyze the data, as well as troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Additionally, having a dedicated log server helps keep your OPNsense system running smoothly and efficiently.

5. Keep OPNsense updated

OPNsense is an open source project, and as such, it’s constantly being improved upon. New features are added, bugs are fixed, and security vulnerabilities are patched.

By keeping OPNsense updated, you ensure that your system is running the latest version with all of the most recent improvements and bug fixes. This helps to keep your network secure and stable, and also ensures that you’re taking advantage of all the new features available in the latest release.

6. Enable intrusion detection and prevention

Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) are designed to detect malicious activity on your network. They can identify suspicious traffic, alert you of any potential threats, and even block malicious packets from entering your system.

OPNsense comes with a built-in IDS/IPS feature that is easy to configure and use. To enable it, simply go to the System > Intrusion Detection page in the web interface and select the “Enable” checkbox. You can also customize the settings to suit your needs.

Enabling intrusion detection and prevention is an essential security measure for any OPNsense user. It helps protect your system from malicious attacks and ensures that only legitimate traffic is allowed through.

7. Filter DNS traffic with DNSCrypt

DNSCrypt is a protocol that encrypts DNS traffic between the user and the DNS server. This helps protect users from malicious actors who may be trying to intercept or manipulate their DNS requests.

By using DNSCrypt, OPNsense can filter out any malicious DNS requests before they reach the user’s device. This ensures that only legitimate DNS requests are allowed through, which helps keep users safe from potential cyber threats. Additionally, it also helps improve performance by reducing latency caused by unnecessary DNS lookups.

8. Protect against brute-force attacks

Brute-force attacks are attempts to gain access to a system by trying multiple combinations of usernames and passwords.

OPNsense provides several features that can help protect against brute-force attacks, such as rate limiting, which limits the number of login attempts from a single IP address within a certain time period. Additionally, OPNsense has an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that monitors for suspicious activity and can alert administrators when it detects a potential attack.

Finally, OPNsense also offers two-factor authentication, which requires users to provide additional information beyond just their username and password in order to log in. This extra layer of security makes it much more difficult for attackers to gain access to your system.

9. Encrypt traffic with IPsec

IPsec is a secure protocol that encrypts data packets as they travel between two points on the internet. This ensures that any sensitive information sent over the network remains private and secure, even if it’s intercepted by an unauthorized third party.

IPsec also provides authentication, which means that only authorized users can access the network. This helps protect against malicious actors who may try to gain access to your system. Additionally, IPsec can be used to create virtual private networks (VPNs), allowing you to securely connect remote locations or devices to your OPNsense-protected network.

10. Monitor network activity

OPNsense is a powerful firewall and security solution, but it can only protect your network if you know what’s happening on it.

By monitoring the traffic that passes through OPNsense, you can detect malicious activity before it causes damage. You can also identify potential vulnerabilities in your system and take steps to address them. Additionally, monitoring allows you to track usage trends so you can better plan for future growth.

OPNsense provides several tools to help with this task, including its built-in Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and Logging & Reporting features. With these tools, you can monitor all incoming and outgoing traffic, as well as any suspicious activity. This will give you an accurate picture of your network’s health and allow you to respond quickly to any threats.