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.

  Why I Hope Congress Never Watches Blackhat (Jan 20)
 

What a strange time. Last week I was literally walking the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of Michael Mann's Blackhat, a crime thriller that I had the good fortune to work on as a "hacker adviser" (my actual screen credit). Today, all I'm thinking is, please, God, don't let anybody in Congress see the film.
  Thousands of U.S. gas stations exposed to Internet attacks (Jan 23)
 

Over 5,000 devices used by gas stations in the U.S. to monitor their fuel tank levels can be manipulated from the Internet by malicious attackers.
  Backdoor in a Public RSA Key (Jan 21)
 

Hello, %username%!When I saw how it works, say that I was shocked is to say nothing. It's a pretty simple trick, but after reading this article, you will never look at the RSA as before. This is not a way to hijack RSA, but something that will make your paranoia greatly swell.
  Memory Corruption Bugs Found in VLC Media Player (Jan 21)
 

There are two memory corruption vulnerabilities in some versions of the VLC open-source media player that can allow an attacker to run arbitrary code on vulnerable machines.
  N.S.A. Breached North Korean Networks Before Sony Attack, Officials Say (Jan 19)
 

The trail that led American officials to blame North Korea for the destructive cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment in November winds back to 2010, when the National Security Agency scrambled to break into the computer systems of a country considered one of the most impenetrable targets on earth.
  Wireless device in two million cars wide open to hacking (Jan 21)
 

An electronic dongle used to connect to the onboard diagnostic systems of more than two million cars and trucks contains few defenses against hacking, an omission that makes them vulnerable to wireless attacks that take control of a vehicle, according to published reports.
  (Jan 20)
 

The Cisco 2015 Annual Security Report is out and the findings are troubling as always: for every positive finding in the report, it seems, there is a negative finding, neutralizing any gains in the network security struggle.
  Barrett Brown Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison in Connection to Stratfor Hack (Jan 23)
 

Barrett Brown, who became a cause c