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Review and turn off services you don't use

A service is a program that runs quietly in the background. Some wait for network connections, and every one of those is a possible way in. On a home desktop you probably don't need most of them listening, so turning off the ones you don't use is a simple way to shrink your exposure.

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CE: Secure ConfigurationModerate
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See what's running

Open a terminal and run systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running. That lists the active services. Most are normal parts of your desktop, so don't start switching things off at random.

The usual suspect: remote access (SSH)

SSH lets someone log in to your machine over the network. It's useful on a server, and usually unnecessary on a home desktop. Check whether it's running with systemctl status ssh (or sshd on Fedora). If it's active and you don't use it, turn it off with sudo systemctl disable --now ssh.

Other things you might not need

Printer sharing, media sharing, and remote-desktop tools are handy if you use them and a needless open door if you don't. Turn off anything you're sure you don't use.

The golden rule

If you don't recognise a service, leave it alone and look it up first. It's better to keep something harmless running than to switch off a part of your desktop you actually rely on.

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