Way to the Web Ltd and Configserver.com has closed down

[universal4]

Will explain who these guys are.

There is an announcement here, but will provide extra details in case they pull down the announcement quickly.

Way to the Web Ltd and Configserver.com has closed down permanently on 31 August 2025

This closure affects all of our commercial software including ConfigServer Exploit Scanner (cxs), MailScanner Front-End (MSFE), and Outgoing Spam Monitor (osm). It also affects our free software including ConfigServer Security and Firewall (csf), ConfigServer Mail Queues (cmq), ConfigServer Mail Manage (cmm), ConfigServer Modsecurity Control (cmc), and ConfigServer Explorer (cse).
As of 31st August 2025, there is no further support, downloads, or license IP changes available.

Way to the Web was the original developers behind the above listed software as well as a VERY popular linux firewall csf.

I have dug around a little and if you are in serious need of updating your firewall, you can grab the latest copy (about 6 days old) on github. https://github.com/waytotheweb/scripts/ or csf itself at https://github.com/waytotheweb/scrip...b/main/csf.tgz

Depending on your server setups, and whether you get regular error reports from cron etc whether you have seen this yet.

Those currently using csf as your firewall have no need to worry. The firewall will NOT stop working, however the files are being removed from most linux repo's so we will have to install manually.

I like the ease of use of the cwp front end for csf, but not a fan of the webmin module. CSF is a good firewall, and fairly easy to configure if you are willing to go through the /csf/csf.conf setting. (CWP also makes that easy) or just use nano or any other editor.

I took a look at the github repo and it has the cwp as well as webmin modules in there if you like using those. I am hoping that cwp will keep their repo updated concerning this (at least for the pro version) but have no idea.

If anyone has additional pieces etc to add, let us know.

Rick
Universal4


/special note Thanks to the_CPA for forwarding me the monthly errors report from his server so I could do a quick eyeball and see if would hurt members much.

[Emiliana Rostowicz]

Unexpected news, thanks for the detailed update. It’s good to know that CSF itself won’t stop working even though official support has ended. The GitHub repo is really a lifesaver in this situation. Hopefully the community can keep things updated and continue sharing useful tips.

[universal4]

Agree,

Most standard CPanel installs will have auto update turned on, so if you need to disable that, it is fairly straight forward in the WHM panel. This user gave a quick step-by-step at https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/...19658862131351.

If you have csf installed manually, you can disable the daily check by looking at the .conf file and changing the auto updates value to "0"

AUTO_UPDATES = "1"

AUTO_UPDATES = "0"

Rick
Universal4

[universal4]

Just wanted to update to see if anyone has updated to v15 of csf and switched away from the "way to the web" version and to the full open source version yet.

See the readme here at github for more information.
https://github.com/centminmod/config...DME-gpl-csf.md

I am curious as to how cpanel and control web panel will handle this and have not read to see if either of them have a full fix yet.

Will guess will just need an update that will pull the new file changes if any and then scan the config for appropriate changes that need preserved.

The csf.conf would be the file you would edit to allow certain ports to be open, or certain ports to be open to certain ip's etc. (This is an absolute must if you install csf manually, and not super difficult and there are some notes in the file as comments to help you understand them)

One assumption is that if the structure of the conf file does not contain huge changes you might be able to update and just replace or keep your older conf file, but obviously at some point in the future that may or may not be a safe method.

I have intention of discussing this with a tech friend and upgrade one of my test servers so we can both eyeball the changes etc if any. Always good to have a fresh set of eyes on these kind of changes as it reduces on set from missing something important.

Rick
Universal4


/side note I tried turning off the firewall auto update in a friends cpanel using the gui UI and it did not allow the change, but was easy to do with the nano editor and only to a minute.

[universal4]

I had previously wondered if starburst might be the one that suggested a fix to the cwp community and he has. Here is the support thread at control web panel forum
https://forum.centos-webpanel.com/cs...24-and-v15-00/ and he linked to the full explanation of how to do it here.
https://starburst.help/control-web-p...tion-provided/

I imagine it is only a matter of time before cwp adds the github version of the firewall in to their base installs and gotta think cpanel will as well.

This is mostly more pertinent to those running their own virtual or dedicated servers and handling the root stuff on your own.

Rick
Universal4

[universal4]

OK those that dropped me a note and asked to keep them updated I just tested the newest version out.

As long as your current version is 14.24 or above you can enable the automatic update. Since I was already running the 14.24 version I tested turning on the auto update and then running it.

I used the step by step guide that starburst wrote and it worked fine. He provides a few choices of download server and I chose the one suggested for the US as the default one.

Dont forget to run chattr +i command so the file can not be deleted or over written later.

I restarted the firewall to read the new configs and then ran the update, and it updated to version 15 so the step-by-step works great.

I did this on a CWP (non paid) version running on Alma Linux 8.10, see no reason it will not be the same on the licensed version also.

If anyone does the update on a regular Cpanel let us know here in case other members want confirmation.

Rick
Universal4

[universal4]

Confirmed works fine on licensed CWP servers as well as debian 12 or 13 installs. (expected outcome)

Rick
Universal4

[elgoog]

is this for Linux only?

[universal4]

Yes, this particular firewall will run on any version or distro of linux as far as I recall. Now that it is fully open source I am even more confident it will be around for a long time. Very common firewall for most cpanels and cwp etc.

Not hard to configure etc once you get a handle on the .conf and the allow file.

If you need one for something else, just shout and I am sure someone can recommend good ones to try.

Rick
Universal4

[universal4]

One member (asked to stay anonymous) asked about the conf and .allow files and how to set a port to be allowed for a specific ip, so figured I would post this in case someone else didn't grasp the concept.

In the csf.conf any port you add to the list in the section # SECTION:IPv4 Port Settings
# Allow incoming TCP ports (inside the quotes) is global. So if it is a web server you will need to add 80 and 443

But in those cases you will likely not want to add 22 (unless you want to allow the world to hit the ssh port)

In order to allow and specific IP address to use ssh, just add that specific ip to the csf.allow file. (one ip per line) This means the ip added can hit ANY port from that specific ip.

Or in the case of wanting to allow a specific person or ip to access a single port see this example.
This example allows the ip 192.168.1.50 ssh or port 22
tcp|in|d=22|s=192.168.1.50

There are tons of articles explaining csf setup. Here is one I thought did a decent job of explaining some of the syntax.
https://www.hostround.com/one/knowle...-Firewall.html

By the way, when you make a change remember to restart the firewall to read the changes. csf -r restarts it and forces a read of the configuration.

Rick
Universal4