TeamSpeak Security Hardening Guide

TeamSpeak Guide • Updated Jan 9, 2026

TeamSpeak: Complete Security Hardening Guide

Comprehensive guide to securing TeamSpeak servers against threats, implementing access controls, protecting against DDoS attacks, and maintaining security best practices.

Security Assessment Overview

Common Threat Vectors

Unauthorized Access: Brute force attacks on server query and admin accounts
DDoS Attacks: Network-level attacks targeting TeamSpeak ports
Griefing: Malicious users disrupting server operations
Spam/Flooding: Channel and chat flooding attacks
Data Breaches: Exposure of user information and communications

Security Layers

🌐 Network Security

Firewall rules, DDoS protection, port security

🔐 Application Security

Access controls, authentication, encryption

⚙️ Operational Security

Monitoring, logging, incident response

Network Security Configuration

Firewall Rules

# iptables rules for TeamSpeak (Linux)
# Allow established connections
iptables -A INPUT -m state --state ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT

# Allow TeamSpeak ports from trusted IPs only
iptables -A INPUT -p udp -s 192.168.1.0/24 --dport 9987 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 192.168.1.0/24 --dport 10011 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 192.168.1.0/24 --dport 30033 -j ACCEPT

# Allow SSH from admin IPs only
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 192.168.1.100 --dport 22 -j ACCEPT

# Drop everything else
iptables -A INPUT -j DROP

# UFW alternative (Ubuntu/Debian)
ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 9987 proto udp
ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 10011 proto tcp
ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 30033 proto tcp
ufw enable

DDoS Protection Setup

CloudFlare Integration

# TeamSpeak behind CloudFlare (UDP proxy)
# Domain: teamspeak.example.com
# DNS: A record pointing to server IP
# CloudFlare settings:
# - Enable DDoS protection
# - Set security level to High
# - Enable rate limiting
# - Block common attacks

# Configure TeamSpeak to use domain
ts3server_startscript.sh start \
    default_voice_port=9987 \
    filetransfer_port=30033 \
    query_port=10011 \
    license_accepted=1

Rate Limiting Configuration

# TCP rate limiting (iptables)
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 10011 -m limit --limit 3/min --limit-burst 5 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 30033 -m limit --limit 10/min --limit-burst 15 -j ACCEPT

# UDP connection limiting
iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 9987 -m connlimit --connlimit-above 100 -j REJECT

# Syn-flood protection
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --syn -m limit --limit 1/s -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --syn -j DROP

Access Control Implementation

Server Query Security

# ts3server.ini security settings
[Query]
# Enable whitelist for server query
query_ip_whitelist = 127.0.0.1,192.168.1.100,192.168.1.101

# Limit query attempts
query_bruteforce_protection = 1
query_bruteforce_threshold = 5
query_bruteforce_bantime = 600

# Set query password
query_password = "your_secure_query_password"

# Disable query for non-whitelisted IPs
query_ip_blacklist = 0.0.0.0/0

Admin Account Security

# Create secure admin account using server query
# Connect to server query
telnet localhost 10011

# Login with server admin
login serveradmin your_serveradmin_password

# Create new admin with secure password
servercreate virtualserver_name="Secure TS3 Server" \
    virtualserver_maxclients=100 \
    virtualserver_port=9987

# Create admin account with strong password
serveradmin_add \
    client_login_name=secureadmin \
    client_login_password=SuperSecurePassword123!@#

# Set proper permissions
servergroupadd name="Secure Admin" sgid=6 type=1
servergroupaddclient sgid=6 cldbid=2

Channel Security

# Secure channel configuration
# Set channel permissions
channeladd permname="Admin" cpid=1 \
    channel_flag_password=1 \
    channel_password_strong="AdminPassword123" \
    channel_needed_talk_power=60

# Create private channels with required permissions
channeladd permname="Private" cpid=2 \
    channel_flag_maxfamily_unlimited=0 \
    channel_flag_maxclients_unlimited=0 \
    channel_maxfamily=10 \
    channel_maxclients=5

# Set join power requirements
channeladdperm cpid=2 permid=50 permvalue=50 permneg=0 permskip=0
channeladdperm cpid=2 permid=51 permvalue=75 permneg=0 permskip=0

Authentication & Encryption

SSL/TLS Configuration

# Generate SSL certificate
openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 \
    -keyout /opt/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64/ts3server.key \
    -out /opt/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64/ts3server.crt \
    -subj "/C=US/ST=State/L=City/O=Organization/CN=teamspeak.example.com"

# Configure TeamSpeak for SSL
ts3server_startscript.sh start \
    default_voice_port=9987 \
    filetransfer_port=30033 \
    query_port=10011 \
    license_accepted=1 \
    voice_ip=0.0.0.0 \
    query_ip=0.0.0.0 \
    filetransfer_ip=0.0.0.0 \
    dbplugin=ts3db_sqlite3 \
    dbpluginparameter=ts3server.sqlitedb \
    logappend=1 \
    logquerycommands=1 \
    create_default_virtualserver=1 \
    licensepath=/opt/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64/licensekey.dat

Two-Factor Authentication

#!/bin/bash
# 2FA implementation script
# Install Google Authenticator
apt-get install libpam-google-authenticator

# Configure PAM for TeamSpeak
echo "auth required pam_google_authenticator.so" >> /etc/pam.d/ts3server

# Generate 2FA secrets for admins
python3 -c "
import pyotp
import qrcode
import base64

# Generate secret for each admin
admins = ['admin1', 'admin2', 'admin3']
for admin in admins:
    secret = pyotp.random_base32()
    totp = pyotp.TOTP(secret)
    print(f'{admin}: {secret}')
    
    # Generate QR code
    qr = qrcode.QRCode(version=1, box_size=10, border=5)
    qr.add_data(f'otpauth://totp/TeamSpeak-{admin}?secret={secret}&issuer=TeamSpeak')
    qr.make(fit=True)
    qr.print_ascii()
"

Monitoring and Detection

Intrusion Detection System

#!/bin/bash
# intrusion_detection.sh

LOG_FILE="/opt/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64/logs/ts3server_*.log"
ALERT_EMAIL="admin@example.com"
MAX_FAILED_ATTEMPTS=5
BANTIME=3600

# Monitor for failed login attempts
tail -f "$LOG_FILE" | while read line; do
    if echo "$line" | grep -q "failed login"; then
        IP=$(echo "$line" | grep -oP 'from \K[\d.]+')
        FAILED_ATTEMPTS=$((FAILED_ATTEMPTS + 1))
        
        if [ "$FAILED_ATTEMPTS" -gt "$MAX_FAILED_ATTEMPTS" ]; then
            # Block IP
            iptables -A INPUT -s "$IP" -j DROP
            
            # Send alert
            echo "ALERT: Multiple failed login attempts from $IP" | \
                mail -s "TeamSpeak Security Alert" "$ALERT_EMAIL"
            
            FAILED_ATTEMPTS=0
        fi
    fi
done

Real-time Monitoring

#!/usr/bin/env python3
# real_time_monitor.py

import teamspeak3
import time
import smtplib

TS_HOST = "localhost"
TS_PORT = 10011
TS_USER = "serveradmin"
TS_PASS = "your_password"

def check_server_status():
    try:
        with teamspeak3.query.TS3ServerConnection(TS_HOST, TS_PORT) as ts:
            ts.login(TS_USER, TS_PASS)
            
            # Check for suspicious activity
            clients = ts.clientlist()
            
            # Check for multiple connections from same IP
            ip_count = {}
            for client in clients:
                ip = client['connection_client_ip']
                ip_count[ip] = ip_count.get(ip, 0) + 1
            
            for ip, count in ip_count.items():
                if count > 5:
                    alert_admin(f"Suspicious activity: {count} connections from {ip}")
            
            # Check for abnormal channel creation
            channels = ts.channellist()
            recent_channels = [c for c in channels 
                           if int(c['seconds_empty']) < 60]
            
            if len(recent_channels) > 3:
                alert_admin("Rapid channel creation detected")
                
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Monitoring error: {e}")

def alert_admin(message):
    print(f"ALERT: {message}")
    # Add email/SMS notification here

if __name__ == "__main__":
    while True:
        check_server_status()
        time.sleep(30)

Incident Response Procedures

Security Incident Response Plan

Phase 1: Detection & Analysis

Identify Threat: Monitor logs and alerts for suspicious activity
Assess Impact: Determine scope and severity of the incident
Document Evidence: Preserve logs and system state
Isolate Systems: Contain threat to prevent further damage

Phase 2: Containment & Eradication

Block Malicious IPs: Update firewall rules immediately
Disable Compromised Accounts: Revoke access for affected users
Patch Vulnerabilities: Address security gaps that were exploited
Clean Systems: Remove malware and backdoors if present

Phase 3: Recovery & Lessons Learned

Restore Services: Bring systems back online safely
Verify Security: Test systems before full restoration
Update Procedures: Improve security based on lessons learned
Train Staff: Educate team on new security measures

Advanced Security Measures

Honeypot Implementation

#!/bin/bash
# honeypot_teamspeak.sh

# Create fake TeamSpeak instance
mkdir /opt/teamspeak_honeypot
cd /opt/teamspeak_honeypot

# Deploy honeypot TeamSpeak server
ts3server_startscript.sh start \
    default_voice_port=9988 \
    filetransfer_port=30034 \
    query_port=10012 \
    virtualserver_name="Honeypot Server" \
    virtualserver_maxclients=10

# Monitor honeypot activity
tail -f /opt/teamspeak_honeypot/logs/ts3server_*.log | while read line; do
    if echo "$line" | grep -q "client connected"; then
        IP=$(echo "$line" | grep -oP 'from \K[\d.]+')
        echo "Honeypot hit from: $IP"
        
        # Add to permanent blocklist
        iptables -A INPUT -s "$IP" -j DROP
    fi
done

Automated Security Scanning

#!/bin/bash
# security_scan.sh

TS_HOST="localhost"
TS_PORT=9987
QUERY_PORT=10011

# Check for common vulnerabilities
echo "Starting security scan..."

# Test for default passwords
if nmap -p 10011 --script ts3-query-brute "$TS_HOST" | grep -q "Valid credentials"; then
    echo "VULNERABILITY: Default or weak passwords detected"
fi

# Check for open unnecessary ports
if nmap "$TS_HOST" | grep -E "(30033|41144)"; then
    echo "WARNING: Unnecessary ports open"
fi

# Test for SSL/TLS issues
if openssl s_client -connect "$TS_HOST:10011" -servername teamspeak.example.com 2>/dev/null | \
   grep -q "certificate"; then
    echo "INFO: SSL certificate present"
else
    echo "WARNING: No SSL certificate configured"
fi

# Check for recent updates
if ! dpkg -l teamspeak3-server | grep -q "2023"; then
    echo "WARNING: TeamSpeak server may be outdated"
fi

echo "Security scan completed"

Compliance and Auditing

Security Audit Checklist

Documentation and Training

Security Policy Template

TeamSpeak Security Policy

Access Control: Only authorized personnel may access server administration
Password Requirements: Minimum 12 characters with complexity requirements
Monitoring: All server access and modifications must be logged
Incident Reporting: Security incidents must be reported within 1 hour
Regular Updates: Security patches must be applied within 48 hours

Security Tip: Implement defense in depth - multiple layers of security controls provide better protection against sophisticated attacks.

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