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Why I Use Read-Only Partitions on My Linux Servers (And You Should Too)
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Most Linux admins overlook this one simple but powerful hardening technique — until it’s too late.
In this post, I’ll walk you through:
🔍 What Are Read-Only Partitions?
A read-only partition is a part of your file system that is mounted in a way that prevents any modifications. This means no files can be written, altered, or deleted — not even by root, unless the partition is remounted.
It’s like locking your system’s most sensitive directories in a glass box.
⚔️ Why It Matters for Security
Attackers who gain access to a system usually:
- Drop malicious files or binaries (like web shells or crypto miners)
- Modify startup scripts or logs to maintain persistence
- Use writable directories to pivot further
By mounting directories like /boot, /usr, or even /var/log as read-only, you block one of their most common attack vectors.
🔐 What I Do on My Production Servers
These are my go-to steps:
- Mount /boot as read-only
- sudo mount -o…