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 headlines.

LinuxSecurity.com Feature Extras:

Peter Smith Releases Linux Network Security Online - Thanks so much to Peter Smith for announcing on linuxsecurity.com the release of his Linux Network Security book available free online. "In 2005 I wrote a book on Linux security. 8 years later and the publisher has gone out of business. Now that I'm free from restrictions on reproducing material from the book, I have decided to make the entire book available online."

Securing a Linux Web Server - With the significant prevalence of Linux web servers globally, security is often touted as a strength of the platform for such a purpose. However, a Linux based web server is only as secure as its configuration and very often many are quite vulnerable to compromise. While specific configurations vary wildly due to environments or specific use, there are various general steps that can be taken to insure basic security considerations are in place.

  GHOST glibc Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Affects All Linux Systems (Jan 27)
 

A critical vulnerability has been found in glibc, the GNU C library, that affects all Linux systems dating back to 2000. Attackers can use this flaw to execute code and remotely gain control of Linux machines.
  Browse Anonymously with a DIY Raspberry Pi VPN/TOR Router (Jan 30)
 

Surf the Internet securely with your very own portable WiFi VPN/TOR router. You can configure a Raspberry Pi with Linux and some extra software to connect to a VPN server of your choice. The VPN connection encrypts your internet traffic so that hackers and spies can't figure out what web sites you are visiting, and the web sites you are visiting can't tell which computer you are surfing from.
  'Mastermind' hacker steals 20 million credentials from dating website (Jan 28)
 

The user names and email addresses of 20 million visitors to Russian online dating website Topface have reportedly been put up for sale on a crime forum, according to anti-fraud firm Easy Solutions.
  This Popular Wireless Alarm System Can Be Hacked With A Magnet And Scotch Tape (Jan 29)
 

These new-generation systems can be simple to sophisticated in their ability to detect entry into your home, and much more. Most are now integrating remote monitoring and control of home automation systems, and this was clearly evident at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where an incredible array of life-safety and comfort technology was on display.
  (Jan 29)
 

A Dutch judge has ruled that an accused Russian "sophisticated hacker" can be extradited to the United States.
  (Jan 30)
 

For its two and a half years online, thousands of drug dealers sold every kind of narcotic imaginable on the anonymous online marketplace known as the Silk Road. But put one of the site's heroin dealers in a courtroom and ask him questions under oath, and the scale and consequences of that drug empire suddenly seem much more real.
  Why Network Segmentation is Imperative on the Internet of Things (Jan 27)
 

I'm speaking on a frequent (and increasing) basis with customers about the opportunities and risks that they need to prepare for as they continue to support new business models related to mobility, cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT).
  Hackers blackmailed Silk Road underground (Jan 29)
 

Hackers extorted thousands of dollars out of the Silk Road marketplace through threats of hitting the site with denial of service attacks or exposing severe security vulnerabilities.
  (Jan 28)
 

The introduction of the cloud architecture, with its virtualisation basis, has created new avenues of attack. The challenge of protecting the organisational assets and process, while avoiding adverse impact on service levels, is growing.
  No, Department of Justice, 80 Percent of Tor Traffic Is Not Child Porn (Jan 28)
 

The debate over online anonymity, and all the whistleblowers, trolls, anarchists, journalists and political dissidents it enables, is messy enough. It doesn't need the US government making up bogus statistics about how much that anonymity facilitates child pornography.
  No, Lizard Squad Was Not Responsible For Facebook Outage (Jan 27)
 

Contrary to suggestions hacker group Lizard Squad took out Facebook, there was almost certainly no attack on the social network and its photo sharing property Instagram, which both went down late last night. According to a source with knowledge of the matter, the downtime was the result of a technical foul up. Facebook is now confirming this in statements to media.
  Faking Murders And Stealing Bitcoin: Why The Silk Road Is The Strangest Crime Story Of The Decade (Feb 2)
 

To his family, he was former Eagle Scout Ross Ulbricht. To his housemates, he was "Joshua Terrey." To the U.S. government, he's "The Dread Pirate Roberts"