Are there any security considerations regarding running full node?

Question

I have been thinking about setting up a dedicated full node to support the Iota network.

In this case would be running some variant of Linux on a dedicated server that would at least meet the requirements mentioned in this article. The server will be configured with common security features (automatic patching, use of SSL through letsencrypt.org, and so on).

However as I am still learning about Iota I wanted to check if there are any specific security considerations that I should be aware of.

I realize that one of the features of Iota (and other cryptocurrencies) is the security provided by the different nodes working together to validate transactions. So I probably should not be overly concerned about the server being hacked.

Still questions like 'is it advisable to run a simple ("single page") WordPress website on the same server?' come to mind.

Are there any security considerations when configuring a server to run as a full node?

Answer 1

AFAIK there is no current known "IRI specific security consideration/vulnerability/bug/exploit".

The same considerations that apply elsewhere however obviously apply here too. Any additional network service reduces your security (or better said, increases the number of possible attack vectors).

Ultimately it depends on if there is a bug in the service that is listening on the open port. As any data that gets sent to this port is processed by the service (in this case, the IOTA node program).

Some further reading: Why is it bad to have open ports?