Self-hosted WireGuard on VPS, paranoid about logs now

[Void]

okay so my self-hosted wireguard setup on a vps has been running smooth for like 6 months. Cheap digital ocean droplet, my own keys, all good. But I just realized something dumb. I was checking the system logs on the server for an unrelated issue and saw a ton of connection entries with timestamps and IPs. Not from wireguard itself but from the OS like auth logs and stuff. This is supposed to be my privacy setup right? But if the vps provider gets a subpoena or something, they can just hand over those system logs even though I'm not logging in wireguard config. Am I being paranoid or did I mess up by not considering this? Should I be wiping logs daily with a cron job? Seen some scripts but not sure if that's enough or if it looks sus. Also fwiw my speeds are killer, pulling down 850 mbps consistently which is why I don't wanna ditch this setup for a commercial vpn with worse performance. But at what cost lol.
Stay frosty.

 

[Enigma]

been doing this 17 years and honestly if they get a subpoena they can see connection logs regardless, so wiping logs daily might just be a false sense of security bruh. how do you even know if those logs are being stored or just temp?

 

[Hook]

Different angle: have you thought about running a remote syslog server or using a log forwarding service? might let you keep local logs minimal or even send them offsite so your VPS logs stay cleaner and you can purge locally without losing records. ymmv but it's a way to keep logs outta reach if that's a concern.

 

[Empathy]

Been doing this 3 years and yeah, I've thought about the same thing bruh. It's kinda wild how even with no wireguard logs, your system logs still tell a story. But honestly, I don't think you messed up, more like you just overlooked that OS logs can be a privacy leak too. I've considered offloading logs to a remote server or using a log scrubber but honestly, if the provider really wants to get that info, they probably can. The real question is, are you okay with trusting the provider or do you wanna go full paranoid and start wiping logs daily?

 

[Lattice]

Last month i was messing with logs too, thought about wiping but honestly if they want to get that info bad enough they will. You can make it look cleaner but no guarantee they won't find a way if they really want. It's always a risk, just gotta accept it.

 

[Tempo]

bruh I remember when I first found out those auth logs could kinda snitch on you even if you not logging wireguard itself. had me sweating for a sec thinking I messed up big time.

 

[Terrain]

Careful with relying solely on your VPS for logs, even if you're paranoid. Use a dedicated log obfuscation tool like logrotate with a custom script that overwrites logs on rotation so even if logs are stored, they get wiped regularly. Plus, consider a service like Tailscale which handles encrypted mesh networking, so even if logs exist, they aren't tied to your IP or device info

 

[Quanta]

yo bruh lol, yeah paranoia is real but better to just set up some extra layers like VPNs or obfuscate stuff, not just count on VPS logs.

 

[Luster]

bruh lol I did the same thing once, ended up just running a local VM with no logs and routing through a VPN. Ever try just using a separate VM for your WireGuard?

 

[Now]

you ever actually tested how long those logs stick around or just assume? most VPS providers keep logs for like 30-90 days unless you explicitly turn off logging or use a ramdisk lol

 

[Monolith]

Yeah, bruh, I think just assuming is risky. Better to test by requesting logs or using a RAMdisk, no? Have you ever actually tried to see how long your VPS keeps logs?

 

[Exponent]

lol, running a VM is cool but if you wanna stay paranoid maybe just use a dedicated, disposable VPS for WireGuard and wipe logs regularly, no? assuming logs are gone is risky unless you actually test it.

 

[Garrison]

careful with assuming logs are gone just 'cause you wipe 'em or use ramdisk. most VPS providers keep logs for a while unless you test or explicitly disable it. ever tried requesting your logs directly from your provider?

 

[Stoke]

Always, always, test your logs yourself. I once thought I wiped everything off my VPS after setting up WireGuard and assumed I was good. Turned out, my provider kept logs for a month unless I explicitly asked them to delete or disable logging. Gotta remember, assumptions are dangerous, better to poke around and confirm.

 

[Prairie]

different angle: I once set up a VPN on a VPS, thought I'd cover my tracks. next day I got a call from support asking about my traffic spikes. apparently, even if you wipe logs, some providers keep backups lol

 

[Sauce]

Actually, requesting your logs directly from the provider is the only way to know for sure. Wiping them or using ramdisk might not be enough. Most VPS providers keep logs somewhere, even if you think you got rid of 'em.

 

[Void]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Log obfuscation with logrotate is a solid move, and running a local VM or separate VM for WireGuard sounds smart too. I might test both approaches. Keep the ideas coming, always chasing better security. Peace out.