diff --git a/baseimage/initializeBaseUbuntuImage.sh b/baseimage/initializeBaseUbuntuImage.sh
index 287177356..43a441a94 100755
--- a/baseimage/initializeBaseUbuntuImage.sh
+++ b/baseimage/initializeBaseUbuntuImage.sh
@@ -184,6 +184,9 @@ systemctl disable postfix || true
 systemctl stop systemd-resolved || true
 systemctl disable systemd-resolved || true
 
+# on vultr, ufw is enabled by default. we have our own firewall
+ufw disable
+
 # ubuntu's default config for unbound does not work if ipv6 is disabled. this config is overwritten in start.sh
 # we need unbound to work as this is required for installer.sh to do any DNS requests
 ip6=$([[ -s /proc/net/if_inet6 ]] && echo "yes" || echo "no")