docker-mailserver/docs/content/config/security/fail2ban.md

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Security | Fail2Ban	toc

Fail2Ban is installed automatically and bans IP addresses for 3 hours after 3 failed attempts in 10 minutes by default. If you want to change this, you can easily edit config/fail2ban-jail.cf.

You can do the same with the values from fail2ban.conf, e.g dbpurgeage. In that case you need to edit config/fail2ban-fail2ban.cf.

!!! attention The mail container must be launched with the NET_ADMIN capability in order to be able to install the iptable rules that actually ban IP addresses.

Thus either include `--cap-add=NET_ADMIN` in the docker run commandline or the equivalent `docker-compose.yml`:

```yaml
cap_add:
  - NET_ADMIN
```

If you don't you will see errors the form of:

iptables -w -X f2b-postfix -- stderr: "getsockopt failed strangely: Operation not permitted\niptables v1.4.21: can't initialize iptabl
es table `filter': Permission denied (you must be root)\nPerhaps iptables or your kernel needs to be upgraded.\niptables v1.4.21: can'
t initialize iptables table `filter': Permission denied (you must be root)\nPerhaps iptables or your kernel needs to be upgraded.\n"
2016-06-01 00:53:51,284 fail2ban.action         [678]: ERROR   iptables -w -D INPUT -p tcp -m multiport --dports smtp,465,submission -
j f2b-postfix

You can also manage and list the banned IPs with the setup.sh script.