Earn an NSA recognized IA Masters Online

The NSA has designated Norwich University a center of Academic Excellence in Information Security. Our program offers unparalleled Infosec management education and the case study affords you unmatched consulting experience. Using interactive e-Learning technology, you can earn this esteemed degree, without disrupting your career or home life.

http://www.msia.norwich.edu/linsec

Administration Notes
By: Benjamin Thomas

Knowing that your servers are up-to-date is a good way to help ensure that you will have uninterrupted holidays. What else can assure you that operations will run smoothly during time off? There are many pieces to the equation that are important. One of the most significant aspects is using servers that are properly configured and hardened. In addition, proper server administration procedures must be followed. While many intrusions are a result of vulnerable packages, a large number of them can also be attributed to improper software configuration and administration. This burden falls on the administrator. What can be done to reduce the risk of improper software configuration?

The easiest way, is to look for a pre configured or specialized security distribution. Because I am a long time contributor to EnGarde Secure Linux, I am biased in this recommendation. However, I personally feel that using a distribution such as EnGarde will dramatically improve your organization's security stance with very little time, effort, and money invested. You'll find that with EnGarde, administration becomes easy. I have used it for years and now I find myself becoming lazy when it comes to using other systems. I find myself not wanting to do anything manually. Administration has become easy and now it is possible to concentrate on more intellectually stimulating projects. A specialized distribution is ideal for administrators with multiple systems to maintain in a critical environment. More information can be found out about EnGarde at: www.engardelinux.org

If you've only installed Linux and Apache to host a personal Web site, or you are just looking to learn the inter workings of security and administration. I recommend finding a good Linux security book. An interesting book that I recently had the pleasure of reading is titled Linux Security Toolkit, by David Bandel. It covers host security, network security, firewalls & specialized security software, and Linux security auditing. It is easy to read and suitable for administrators wishing to concentrate on security. Like most books published today, it is not suitable for the seasoned administrator. Although the book is well written, it is not full of cutting edge knowledge. If you're looking to learn more about security, I recommend taking a look. It is available used through Amazon.com at a very reasonable price.

LinuxSecurity.com Feature Extras:

Linux File & Directory Permissions Mistakes - One common mistake Linux administrators make is having file and directory permissions that are far too liberal and allow access beyond that which is needed for proper system operations. A full explanation of unix file permissions is beyond the scope of this article, so I'll assume you are familiar with the usage of such tools as chmod, chown, and chgrp. If you'd like a refresher, one is available right here on linuxsecurity.com.

Introduction: Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities - Buffer overflows are a leading type of security vulnerability. This paper explains what a buffer overflow is, how it can be exploited, and what countermeasures can be taken to prevent the use of buffer overflow vulnerabilities.

Getting to Know Linux Security: File Permissions - Welcome to the first tutorial in the 'Getting to Know Linux Security' series. The topic explored is Linux file permissions. It offers an easy to follow explanation of how to read permissions, and how to set them using chmod. This guide is intended for users new to Linux security, therefore very simple. If the feedback is good, I'll consider creating more complex guides for advanced users. Please let us know what you think and how these can be improved.

 

Take advantage of our Linux Security discussion list! This mailing list is for general security-related questions and comments. To subscribe send an e-mail to security-discuss-request@linuxsecurity.com with "subscribe" as the subject.

Thank you for reading the LinuxSecurity.com weekly security newsletter. The purpose of this document is to provide our readers with a quick summary of each week's most relevant Linux security headline.

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.

Powered by AkoComment!