Yep, definitely! Here are some solid ways that I can think of off the top of my dome
1. Firewall-Level Filtering:
Set up IP tables or use tools like nftables to block known malicious IPs and rate-limit connections. For advanced stuff, Cloudflare Spectrum can help with non-HTTP traffic filtering.
2. Rate Limiting:
Limit how many packets or connections a single IP can send per second. This helps stop packet spam and crash exploits.
3. Connection Throttling:
Use tools like Fail2Ban to detect and block suspicious behavior automatically. You can also delay or drop spammy connection attempts.
4. Server Hardening:
Keep everything updated, disable unused services/ports, and change default ports. Also, consider disabling ping replies and IP packet fragmentation if your server doesn't need it.
5. Traffic Obfuscation:
Hide your real server IP with a reverse proxy or VPN tunnel like WireGuard. Makes it way harder for attackers to target your server directly.
6. Kernel-Level Tweaks (for Linux servers):
Tweak stuff like:
net.ipv4.tcp_syncookies = 1 (enables SYN cookies)
net.core.rmem_max and net.core.wmem_max (boosts socket buffer sizes)
Disable source routing and other weak points
7. Use a Game-Specific Proxy:
If you're hosting something like Minecraft, tools like Velocity, TCPShield, or Waterfall can absorb crash attempts and filter traffic more safely.
8. ML-Based Detection (Advanced):
Some people set up AI/ML-based traffic monitors that can learn and stop weird patterns before they crash the server. A bit overkill for smaller setups, but super effective.
