Creating security groups
By definition, security groups are ”[…] sets of IP filter rules that are applied to all project instances, which define networking access to the instance. Group rules are project specific; project members can edit the default rules for their group and add new rule sets.”
Creating a security group
Navigate to the Cleura Cloud Management Panel page, and log into your Cleura Cloud account. On the other hand, if you prefer to work with the OpenStack CLI, please do not forget to source the RC file first.
To create a security group, first make sure the left-hand side vertical pane is fully visible. Click on Security Groups, and then on the top-right corner of the central pane, click on Create new Security Group.
An alternative way to create a Security Group is by clicking on the round-cornered Create button, in the top bar.
Type in a Name for the new security group, and choose a Region to create it in. You may optionally type in a Description for the security group. Click on the green Create button when you are ready.
To create a security group, use the following command:
openstack security group create <name>
When the command is executed successfully, you will get information regarding your new security group:
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Field | Value |
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| created_at | 2025-02-19T17:58:05Z |
| description | <name> |
| id | a463b1de-7b12-43a0-b080-189f0fb09fd8 |
| name | <name> |
| project_id | d42230ea21674515ab9197af89fa5192 |
| revision_number | 1 |
| rules | created_at='2025-02-19T17:58:05Z', direction='egress', ethertype='IPv4', |
| | id='45dee5b4-2d3b-4ac0-9304-02e3ca6229fe', standard_attr_id='305189', |
| | updated_at='2025-02-19T17:58:05Z' |
| | created_at='2025-02-19T17:58:05Z', direction='egress', ethertype='IPv6', |
| | id='a48fbf92-a608-4518-97a4-24e6c9fa8caf', standard_attr_id='305192', |
| | updated_at='2025-02-19T17:58:05Z' |
| shared | False |
| stateful | True |
| tags | [] |
| updated_at | 2025-02-19T17:58:05Z |
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Removing default ingress rules
By default, a security group named default has already been created for you.
Its rules block all traffic from any source (ingress), except from servers and ports in the same security group.
All traffic to any destination (egress) is allowed by default.
Navigate to the Security Groups page.
Click on the default security group and select the Rules tab to view its rules.
View the details of the default security group using the following command:
openstack security group show default
You will get a printout similar to this:
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Field | Value |
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| created_at | 2024-04-11T07:02:49Z |
| description | Default security group |
| id | 5b6a6004-d40e-41ed-938e-48fc09f950f2 |
| name | default |
| project_id | d42230ea21674515ab9197af89fa5192 |
| revision_number | 1 |
| rules | belongs_to_default_sg='True', created_at='2024-04-11T07:02:49Z', |
| | direction='egress', ethertype='IPv6', |
| | id='486f7d60-a486-46e6-ab70-7d91ce65cdc7', standard_attr_id='73', |
| | updated_at='2024-04-11T07:02:49Z' |
| | belongs_to_default_sg='True', created_at='2024-04-11T07:02:49Z', |
| | direction='ingress', ethertype='IPv4', |
| | id='58785232-3635-49ca-a9d9-5f762c26c92a', |
| | remote_group_id='5b6a6004-d40e-41ed-938e-48fc09f950f2', standard_attr_id='67', |
| | updated_at='2024-04-11T07:02:49Z' |
| | belongs_to_default_sg='True', created_at='2024-04-11T07:02:49Z', |
| | direction='egress', ethertype='IPv4', |
| | id='5a7fca17-f02a-4c72-a4a3-19ce4618a0cc', standard_attr_id='64', |
| | updated_at='2024-04-11T07:02:49Z' |
| | belongs_to_default_sg='True', created_at='2024-04-11T07:02:49Z', |
| | direction='ingress', ethertype='IPv6', |
| | id='baf7d080-32b0-49e3-aa04-b91a20358fd5', |
| | remote_group_id='5b6a6004-d40e-41ed-938e-48fc09f950f2', standard_attr_id='70', |
| | updated_at='2024-04-11T07:02:49Z' |
| shared | False |
| stateful | True |
| tags | [] |
| updated_at | 2024-04-11T07:02:49Z |
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
If you want to restrict the ingress rules to disallow access from other servers and ports in the group, you need to remove the default two ingress rules.
Click each of the red buttons on the right-hand side of the IPv4 ingress and also of the IPv6 ingress rows.
Your default or newly created security group rules will now look like the following example.
To view the rules, use the following command:
openstack security group rule list default
The printout will be similar to this:
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| ID | IP Protocol | Ethertype | IP Range | Port Range | Direction | Remote Security Group | Remote Address Group |
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| 486f7d60- | None | IPv6 | ::/0 | | egress | None | None |
| a486- | | | | | | | |
| 46e6- | | | | | | | |
| ab70- | | | | | | | |
| 7d91ce65c | | | | | | | |
| dc7 | | | | | | | |
| 58785232- | None | IPv4 | 0.0.0.0/0 | | ingress | 5b6a6004-d40e-41ed- | None |
| 3635- | | | | | | 938e-48fc09f950f2 | |
| 49ca- | | | | | | | |
| a9d9- | | | | | | | |
| 5f762c26c | | | | | | | |
| 92a | | | | | | | |
| 5a7fca17- | None | IPv4 | 0.0.0.0/0 | | egress | None | None |
| f02a- | | | | | | | |
| 4c72- | | | | | | | |
| a4a3- | | | | | | | |
| 19ce4618a | | | | | | | |
| 0cc | | | | | | | |
| baf7d080- | None | IPv6 | ::/0 | | ingress | 5b6a6004-d40e-41ed- | None |
| 32b0- | | | | | | 938e-48fc09f950f2 | |
| 49e3- | | | | | | | |
| aa04- | | | | | | | |
| b91a20358 | | | | | | | |
| fd5 | | | | | | | |
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
The IDs of the two ingress rules, one for IPv4 traffic and one for IPv6, in this case, are:
5e5e9f4d-1faa-492d-91f1-c105b464072b and 86b9413a-ad23-46c4-a35e-9306945dc63c.
Delete them by using the following command:
openstack security group rule delete \
58785232-3635-49ca-a9d9-5f762c26c92a baf7d080-32b0-49e3-aa04-b91a20358fd5
Print the rules again:
openstack security group rule list default
Now, the remaining rules are only the egress ones.
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| ID | IP Protocol | Ethertype | IP Range | Port Range | Direction | Remote Security Group | Remote Address Group |
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| 486f7d60- | None | IPv6 | ::/0 | | egress | None | None |
| a486- | | | | | | | |
| 46e6- | | | | | | | |
| ab70- | | | | | | | |
| 7d91ce65c | | | | | | | |
| dc7 | | | | | | | |
| 5a7fca17- | None | IPv4 | 0.0.0.0/0 | | egress | None | None |
| f02a- | | | | | | | |
| 4c72- | | | | | | | |
| a4a3- | | | | | | | |
| 19ce4618a | | | | | | | |
| 0cc | | | | | | | |
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
Allowing SSH access
The next thing to do is allow SSH access on port 22 for IPv4 and IPv6 client connections – but only from specific addresses or subnets.
To do this, while on the Rules tab, click on the green Create new rule button. A pane named Create a Security Group Rule will slide over from the right-hand side of the browser window.
For the IPv4 ingress SSH rule, make sure you set Protocol to TCP, Direction to Ingress, and Ether Type to IPv4. Then, set From to Network/IP and, in the Custom CIDR text box below, type in either the IPv4 address of your client host or the CIDR of your client subnet.
To create the new rule, click the green Create button.
You may work similarly for the IPv6 ingress SSH rule; just be sure to set Ether Type to IPv6.
When you are done creating the two ingress rules for SSH, you see them listed in the Rules tab of the security group.
To create this rule for IPv4 client connections, use the following command:
openstack security group rule create \
--protocol tcp --dst-port 22 \
--remote-ip 203.0.113.0/24 \
default
To create the same rule but this time for IPv6 client connections, use a command like the following:
openstack security group rule create \
--protocol tcp --dst-port 22 --ethertype IPv6 \
--remote-ip 2001:db8::/32 \
default
If you don’t know your IPv4 or IPv6 address, visit icanhazip.com.
In this example, your IPv4 address is 203.0.113.58, and if you want to allow SSH access from this address only, enter 203.0.113.58/32 as CIDR.
If you want to allow SSH access from any address in that Class C subnet, instead enter 203.0.113.0/24 as CIDR.
Regarding the IPv6 address, in the example we use the 2001:db8::/32 address block.
Alternatively, you may use a single IPv6 address, like 2001:db8:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff/128.
Allowing Web Traffic
Next, create the rules that allow anyone to access a server on port 80 and port 443.
Following a similar routine as before, begin by clicking on the green Create new rule button.
To create an ingress rule for IPv4 connections to 80/TCP, set Protocol, Direction, and Ether Type accordingly.
Then, in each of the two Port range text boxes, type in 80.
This time, leave CIDR empty, essentially allowing incoming traffic from any IPv4 client.
Click the green Create button to instantiate the new rule.
The same for the ingress rule for IPv4 connections to 443/TCP.
The only difference is in the Port range text boxes;
in each of the two, you should now type 443.
Just like you did for incoming IPv4 connections, create a new ingress rule for IPv6 clients connecting to 80/TCP…
…and a new ingress rule for IPv6 clients connecting to 443/TCP.
When you are done creating the new ingress rules, you will see them all listed in the Rules tab of the default security group.
This time don’t specify --remote-ip, to allow traffic from all IPv4 and IPv6 sources:
openstack security group rule create --protocol tcp --dst-port 80 default
openstack security group rule create --protocol tcp --dst-port 80 --ethertype IPv6 default
One more time for port 443:
openstack security group rule create --protocol tcp --dst-port 443 default
openstack security group rule create --protocol tcp --dst-port 443 --ethertype IPv6 default
To view the updated rules, print them again:
openstack security group rule list default
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| ID | IP Protocol | Ethertype | IP Range | Port Range | Direction | Remote Security Group | Remote Address Group |
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| 742bcc46- | tcp | IPv4 | 0.0.0.0/0 | 80:80 | ingress | None | None |
| beb5- | | | | | | | |
| 47a5- | | | | | | | |
| 8eb1- | | | | | | | |
| eb35da800 | | | | | | | |
| 6ed | | | | | | | |
| 86ab9224- | tcp | IPv6 | ::/0 | 80:80 | ingress | None | None |
| 4120- | | | | | | | |
| 11f0- | | | | | | | |
| af79- | | | | | | | |
| 5f799899a | | | | | | | |
| 9cb | | | | | | | |
| ad4a19ef- | None | IPv6 | ::/0 | | egress | None | None |
| 7fab- | | | | | | | |
| 4eba- | | | | | | | |
| 9982- | | | | | | | |
| e5b109be1 | | | | | | | |
| 21c | | | | | | | |
| cef0cd36- | tcp | IPv4 | 203.0.113 | 22:22 | ingress | None | None |
| ad78- | | | .58/32 | | | | |
| 4dbd- | | | | | | | |
| b806- | | | | | | | |
| 597300fd9 | | | | | | | |
| e6a | | | | | | | |
| f53b1a12- | None | IPv4 | 0.0.0.0/0 | | egress | None | None |
| edbb- | | | | | | | |
| 480b- | | | | | | | |
| 910b- | | | | | | | |
| a71c48363 | | | | | | | |
| 46f | | | | | | | |
| f90c598c- | tcp | IPv4 | 0.0.0.0/0 | 443:443 | ingress | None | None |
| 3a5e- | | | | | | | |
| 459f- | | | | | | | |
| 8ed3- | | | | | | | |
| 3c2538e7a | | | | | | | |
| 24f | | | | | | | |
| dde1a0d8- | tcp | IPv6 | ::/0 | 443:443 | ingress | None | None |
| 4120- | | | | | | | |
| 11f0- | | | | | | | |
| acdc- | | | | | | | |
| 93df8d8fa | | | | | | | |
| fae | | | | | | | |
+-----------+-------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------------------+----------------------+
All the rules for a simple web server are now in place.
For any additional protocol or ingress rule, simply follow the same procedure as above.