Securing a trading platform: a lockdown checklist
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 11:43 am
Trading platforms often get set up once and never reviewed. A short checklist, worth going through before something looks wrong rather than after:
Also keep a note of which EAs should be running where, so the weekly check has something to compare against.
None of this is complicated. What does your platform security routine look like?
- Separate MT5 installations for live and demo, in different folders. No shared profiles, so a test EA can't end up on a live chart.
- "Allow DLL imports" off globally, on only for the single EA that needs it.
- Investor password shared with nobody unless needed, trading password unique and stored in a password manager.
- Two-factor authentication on the broker's client area, where offered.
- VPS login with a key instead of a password, and RDP not exposed on the default port.
- A weekly one-minute check of the Experts tab and the list of attached EAs.
Also keep a note of which EAs should be running where, so the weekly check has something to compare against.
None of this is complicated. What does your platform security routine look like?