--- title: Steps to maximise robotics security with Ubuntu description: The Robot Operating System (ROS) is a popular open-source platform for advanced robotics. Its flexibility and ease-of-use make it well-suited to a wide array of robotics applications – however, these robots are not always sufficiently protected against security threats. url: https://canonical.com/blog/steps-to-maximise-robotics-security-with-ubuntu --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Alex Cattle](https://canonical.com/blog/author/cattleaej "More about Alex Cattle") 1 April 2020 # Steps to maximise robotics security with Ubuntu [IoT](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/iot) [robotics](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/robotics) [ROS](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/ros) [Ubuntu](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/ubuntu) --- Share the article The Robot Operating System (ROS) is a popular open-source platform for advanced robotics. Its flexibility and ease-of-use make it well-suited to a wide array of robotics applications – however, these robots are not always sufficiently protected against security threats. Opportunistic attacks are by far the most prevalent, and robots with inadequate ROS security make tempting targets for bad actors. With that in mind, approaching robotics security proactively is crucial to preventing breaches and saving resources in the long run. Security starts with the underlying operating system, and building robots on Ubuntu unlocks a number of easy, yet effective, measures for maximising protection against the most dominant threats. Using the Raspberry Pi based model of TurtleBot3 as an example, this whitepaper details practical steps for securing robots on Ubuntu, including: * How to minimise the attack surface by installing the Ubuntu Server image, and by disabling USB, IPv6, core dump, and other functionalities that are not in use. * Enabling unattended upgrades to keep automatically up-to-date with the latest security vulnerability patches. * Mitigating brute force attacks through SSH hardening and firewall configuration. Fill out the form below to download the whitepaper: ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. In submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Notice](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy/contact) and [Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### Arduino® VENTUNO™ Q is available for pre-order with Ubuntu pre-installed](https://canonical.com/blog/arduino-ventuno-q-is-available-for-pre-order-with-ubuntu-pre-installed) London, UK – August 25, 2026 – Following our initial collaboration announcement in March 2026, Canonical and Arduino (a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.) are excited... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 25 August 2026 [### Canonical announces the alpha release of Charmed OpenShell to help secure autonomous AI agent fleets](https://canonical.com/blog/charmed-openshell-alpha-release) To streamline enterprise deployment and lifecycle management, Canonical is announcing the alpha release of Charmed OpenShell. [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 28 September 2026 [### Ubuntu coming soon to Snapdragon X2 Series platforms, unlocking more Linux PCs for the agentic world](https://canonical.com/blog/ubuntu-coming-soon-to-qualcomm-snapdragon-x2-series-platforms) Canonical and Qualcomm Technologies announce upcoming native Ubuntu support for Qualcomm’s flagship laptop silicon, delivering multi-day battery life, 80 TOPS NPU acceleration,... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 23 September 2026 [### Canonical announces Zephyr 26.04 LTS, delivering up to 15 years of support for MCU-grade devices](https://canonical.com/blog/zephyr-lts-announcement) The new enterprise distribution provides a trusted Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) to solve critical Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) compliance and developer experience... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 21 September 2026