Disable ProFTP on CentOS | Server Security

Disabling FTP on CentOS Systems

This guide details the process of disabling the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) service on a CentOS-based server. This is undertaken to enhance security by removing a potentially vulnerable protocol.

Manual FTP Disablement Procedure

While attempting to disable FTP, a direct option within Plesk wasn't readily available. Consequently, a manual configuration approach was adopted.

The initial step involves checking for a configuration file named psa_ftp within the /etc/xinetd.d/ directory.

If the psa_ftp file is absent, modifications must be made directly to the /etc/xinetd.conf file.

Open the appropriate configuration file (either psa_ftp or xinetd.conf) with root privileges. Locate the following service block:

service ftp
{
        disable         = yes
        socket_type     = stream
        protocol        = tcp
        wait            = no
        user            = root
        instances       = UNLIMITED
        server          = /usr/sbin/in.proftpd
        server_args     = -c /etc/proftpd.conf
}

Ensure the line disable = no is changed to disable = yes, effectively disabling the FTP service.

Restarting the xinetd Service

After modifying the configuration file, the xinetd service must be restarted to apply the changes.

Execute the following command in the terminal:

/etc/init.d/xinetd restart

Following this restart, the FTP service will be successfully disabled on the CentOS server.