:Network Computing: Unix Security: It Doesn't Have To Be So Insecure
Network Computing: Unix Security: It Doesn't Have To Be So Insecure Aug 24, 1999, 04 :33 UTC (17 Talkback[s]) (7401 reads) (Other stories by Robert J. Kohlhepp) (As seen on LWN)
"My Unix servers are stable and flexible. I set them up and they run
forever, unless someone mucks with them. However, because of them, I must
read security bulletins, download, patch and reboot, and fret about
breakins. Unfortunately, the only way to avoid this is to use a server OS
that has no (or very few) native IP services, such as MacOS or NetWare (pre
NetWare 5).
"Not only does Unix security seem unattainable, so does Unix
installation to a general audience. Many vendors have started to address
this but, we are a long way from a quick installation of a solid, secure
Unix system."
"By default, most Unix systems implemented for Internet-accessible
services need very few of the packages that are install by default. For our
server, we simply commented out almost every single line in the
/etc/inetd.conf file. Why doesn't this happen by default?"
