Documentation

ServerGuard Documentation

ServerGuard is a Windows desktop application for managing, monitoring and protecting Linux servers over SSH. It combines security tools, best practices and a convenient interface in a single solution.

Download ServerGuard Security module

Security-first server management

Harden your servers, prevent attacks and manage configuration with ease.

Windows client
Linux server
SSH management

Protection runs on the server

Modules are installed on the Linux server and operate independently of the client, so detection and response keep running whether or not your computer is switched on.

Managed over one SSH connection

Connect once over SSH, then open and manage every module from the ServerGuard terminal — Security, Hardening, key and file monitoring and Telegram.

Windows ServerGuard

SSH

Linux Server ServerGuard modules

Module / SSH Hardening

Review and apply an SSH security policy

SSH Hardening reviews and manages security-related OpenSSH configuration. The policy is written to a separate configuration fragment, validated and backed up before it is applied.

Applies a controlled policy without rewriting the administrator's configuration
Validates the configuration and reloads the SSH service
Creates a backup and supports restoration

Open SSH Hardening ↗

                        /etc/ssh/sshd_config (recommended)
                        policy
                    

Protocol 2
PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no
PubkeyAuthentication yes
KexAlgorithms curve25519-sha256,ecdh-sha2-nistp256
Ciphers chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com
MACs hmac-sha2-512,hmac-sha2-256

Protection modules

Each module targets one class of events and is managed from the same SSH connection.

Security SSH brute-force detection with automatic restrictions. Read module → SSH Hardening Review and apply a controlled OpenSSH security policy. Read module → SSH Key Guard Monitor authorized_keys and raise events on changes. Read module → FileGuard File integrity monitoring with baselines, scans and logs. Read module → Telegram Bot Security notifications and remote management on Telegram. Read module →

Quick start

01

Install ServerGuard

Download the installer and run the setup wizard on your Windows computer. Installation →

02

Connect over SSH

Enter the server IP, SSH port, username and password, then connect. Connection →

03

Enable protection

Open a module from the terminal and enable the protection you need on the server. Modules →

                    Download latest version (PowerShell)
                    Windows
                

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://serverguard.dev/download/latest" -OutFile "ServerGuardSetup.exe"

02 / REQUIREMENTS

Before you start

Make sure the following requirements are available before starting the test.

01

Windows PC

A Windows computer with ServerGuard installed.

02

Linux server

A Linux server accessible through SSH.

03

SSH access

IP address, SSH port, username and password or another supported authentication method.

04

Test environment

Testing should preferably be performed on a separate test server rather than production.

03 / INSTALLATION

Installing ServerGuard

Download and install the ServerGuard application on your Windows computer.

01

Download the installer

Download the latest ServerGuard installer from the official website.

Download ServerGuard ↗

02

Run the installer

Launch the installer and follow the installation wizard.

03

Start ServerGuard

After installation, launch ServerGuard from the desktop or Start Menu.

Installing ServerGuard on Linux

ServerGuard is also available as a Linux desktop application. Download version 1.1.8 for x86_64 / AMD64 from the Linux downloads page. Choose a DEB, RPM or TAR.ZST package for your distribution.

Before running an installation command, open a terminal and change to the directory containing the downloaded package.

Ubuntu / Debian — DEB

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt install ./serverguard_1.1.8-1_amd64.deb

Fedora / RHEL — RPM

Fedora / RHEL

sudo dnf install ./serverguard-1.1.8-1.x86_64.rpm

Arch Linux — TAR.ZST

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -U ./serverguard-1.1.8-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

04 / CONNECTION

Connecting to the Linux server

Enter the connection information for the test server in the main ServerGuard window.

IP Linux server IP address

Port SSH port, normally 22

Username Linux user used for SSH authentication

Password Password for the selected Linux account

Test server

Use the temporary test credentials provided for the evaluation. Do not publish real passwords, private SSH keys or other sensitive credentials in screenshots or documentation.

ServerGuard main window — ServerGuard main connection window

01

Enter the server information

Specify IP, Port, Username and Password using the credentials supplied for testing.

02

Connect

Start the connection and wait for ServerGuard to authenticate through SSH.

05 / MAIN TERMINAL

ServerGuard terminal

After connecting, the ServerGuard terminal provides access to server commands and security modules.

help
ls
pwd
cd <directory>
nano <file>

security
telegram
hardening
sshkeys
fileguard
ports
web install

exit

Command reference

General navigation

Security

SSH Hardening

SSH Key Guard

FileGuard

Integrations

Diagnostics and maintenance

ServerGuard terminal / reference

root@server:~$ help

Show the complete ServerGuard help page, including general commands, modules, Port Manager and troubleshooting.

General navigation Reference only · does not execute commands

help Show available commands.

ls List files in the current directory.

pwd Show the current directory.

cd Change the current directory.

nano <file> Edit a remote file with the ServerGuard editor.

security Open the Security module.

telegram Open the Telegram Bot module.

hardening Open SSH Hardening.

sshkeys Open SSH Key Guard.

fileguard Open FileGuard.

ports Open the firewall and protected-port manager.

web install Install the local web interface on the server.

exit Close the SSH connection.

06 / SECURITY

Security module

The Security module provides protection against repeated failed SSH authentication attempts and allows the protection service to be managed.

ServerGuard Security menu — Security module menu

========================================
 ServerGuard Security
========================================

1. Install / enable protection
2. Start protection
3. Stop protection
4. Disable automatic startup
5. Check status
6. Show logs
7. Update Security
0. Back

01

Install / enable

Install the Security protection component and enable its configuration.

02

Start / Stop

Start or stop the protection service when required during testing.

03

Status

Check whether the protection service is installed and running.

04

Logs

Review security events and service logs generated during testing.

05

Automatic startup

Configure whether the protection service starts automatically with the system.

06

Update

Update the installed Security module.

07 / TELEGRAM BOT

Telegram Bot

The Telegram module allows ServerGuard to send security notifications from the Linux server.

============================================
             TELEGRAM BOT
============================================

Telegram bot: ACTIVE

1. Install / configure bot
2. Generate verification code
3. Start bot
4. Stop bot
5. Restart bot
6. Disable automatic startup
7. Update bot
8. Check status
9. Show logs
10. Remove bot
0. Back

Function

Description

Install / configure

Install and configure the Telegram bot.

Verification code

Generate a verification code for connecting the required Telegram account.

Start

Start the Telegram bot service.

Stop

Stop the Telegram bot service.

Restart

Restart the bot service.

Status

Check whether the bot is installed and active.

Logs

View Telegram bot logs.

Update

Update the installed Telegram bot.

Remove

Completely remove the Telegram bot.

Telegram Bot installation and configuration

Important

Never publish the Telegram bot token or other authentication credentials in screenshots, public repositories or documentation.

08 / SSH HARDENING

SSH Hardening

SSH Hardening provides tools for reviewing and managing security-related SSH configuration.

SSH configuration Review security-related SSH settings.

Authentication security Review authentication-related configuration.

Service management Apply and manage supported hardening settings.

Testing recommendation

SSH configuration changes can affect remote access. Perform hardening tests only on the designated test server and keep an alternative access method available when possible.

09 / SSH KEY GUARD

SSH Key Guard

SSH Key Guard monitors SSH authorized keys and generates security events when changes are detected.

01

Install

Install SSH Key Guard on the Linux server.

02

Scan

Scan authorized SSH keys and detect changes.

03

Baseline

Create or update the known key baseline.

04

Audit

Review detected SSH key security events.

05

Update

Update the SSH Key Guard component.

06

Remove

Remove the module from the test server.

10 / FILEGUARD

FileGuard

FileGuard provides file-related server management capabilities through the ServerGuard interface.

File management

Use FileGuard to work with server files through the ServerGuard interface and available SFTP/server tools.

11 / TESTING

Recommended testing procedure

The following sequence can be used as a structured evaluation of ServerGuard.

01

Connect

Connect ServerGuard to the provided Linux test server through SSH.

02

Check terminal

Run help, pwd and ls and verify that terminal commands work correctly.

03

Test Security

Install or enable the Security module, start protection and check its status.

04

Check logs

Review module logs and verify that security events are recorded.

05

Test Telegram

Install/configure the Telegram Bot, generate the verification code and verify notifications.

06

Test SSH Key Guard

Run a scan, create a baseline and review the generated audit information.

07

Test other modules

Review SSH Hardening and FileGuard according to the available test scenario.

08

Review results

Check statuses, logs, generated events and Telegram notifications.

12 / TROUBLESHOOTING

Troubleshooting

If something does not work as expected, check the following areas first.

ServerGuard cannot connect to the server

Check the server IP address, SSH port, username and authentication credentials. Also verify that the SSH service is running and accessible from the Windows computer.

A module is not installed

Open the corresponding module and use its installation/configuration option. After installation, check the module status.

A service is not running

Use the module's status and log options. If available, restart the service and review the resulting logs.

Telegram Bot is inactive

Check whether the bot is installed, configured and started. Then check its status and logs.

Where can I find more information?

Visit the ServerGuard website or the project's GitHub page for additional information and development updates.

Thank you for testing ServerGuard.

Your feedback helps improve the project, identify issues and develop new features.