How to block bots from seeking exploits on your web server with Fail2Ban

Source: Exploit scanner, secure your Apache

Steps:

• sudo apt-get install fail2ban
• edit /etc/fail2ban/jail.conf

  [apache-nohome]
  enabled = true
  port    = http,https
  filter  = apache-nohome
  logpath = /var/log/apache*/*error.log
  maxretry = 5
  

• fix a bug in the filter /etc/fail2ban/filter.d/apache-nohome.conf

  failregex = [[]client (?P<host>\S*)[]] File does not exist:
  

• Restart /etc/init.d/fail2ban restart
• Check that fail2ban has started.

   sudo fail2ban-client status
  Status
  |- Number of jail:      2
  `- Jail list:           apache-nohome, ssh