Should I be worried about malware?

Please, no Windows vs Mac vs Linux debates. There are already plenty of those around.

Do I have to be concerned about my Asterisk server getting a virus or some other kind of malware? Assuming it is behind NAT with only the required ports for SSH, FreePBX/FOP access from the internet, and of course, remote extensions. I’ve never heard of anyone having problems but if anyone has I’d like to know

VPN or public IP access lists are NOT an option.

No there really isn’t anything to worry about. There are a few virus’s for linux but they are actually rare. You don’t need to worry spyware and things in linux though. Just keep all passwords complex on the system. Also it’s a good idea to disable remote root logins and run ssh on a different port.

Thanks for the feedback. I gotta have remote root SSH access. Could do it through FreePBX Java feature but I’d like to have a back door as well for the times I need to shut down FreePBX. Changing to something other than port 22 is a good idea. I would imagine that’s just a simple sshd.conf change or whatever?

What I mean by “disable remote root logins” is to not allow root ssh logins, only users. Once you login as a user you and su to root. This along with changing the port can be done in /etc/ssh/sshd_config