Linux disable or drop / block ping packets all together

To disable or block ping packets in Linux, you can use the iptables utility. iptables is a firewall utility that allows you to configure rules to control incoming and outgoing network traffic.

To block incoming ping packets, you can use the following command:

iptables -A INPUT -p icmp --icmp-type echo-request -j DROP

To block outgoing ping packets, you can use the following command:

iptables -A OUTPUT -p icmp --icmp-type echo-request -j DROP

These commands will add rules to the INPUT and OUTPUT chains, respectively, to drop ping packets (ICMP echo requests).

Note that these rules are not persistent across reboots. To make the rules persistent, you'll need to save them to a file and then restore them when the system starts. You can use the iptables-save and iptables-restore commands for this purpose.

For example, you can save the rules using the following command:

iptables-save > /etc/iptables.rules

Then, you can add the following line to your /etc/rc.local file to restore the rules at boot time:

iptables-restore < /etc/iptables.rules

Keep in mind that blocking ping packets may have unintended consequences, as ping is often used for network diagnosis and troubleshooting. It's generally better to use other methods to secure your system, such as firewalls, access controls, and strong passwords.