Hardening Linux

"Linux is an enterprise-grade operating system and is capable of the utmost security. However, many installations fall short because the out-of-the-box setup routines have to cater for the lowest common denominator.

"There's no way a generic installer can assume what it is to be used for. And, as Linux is generally a cornucopia of software--and as more and more 'non-techie' people adopt Linux--this has to add up to bucket loads of web servers, mail servers, ftp servers and more which are running, but aren't needed. This is particularly true if your system has been running for some time. Modern distros, like Ubuntu, are far more defensive by default--but this doesn't help large and/or busy systems who can't afford to rebuild from scratch each time a new release is available..."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• Rough Edges Mar *nix-style Configuration Tool(Aug 05, 2007)
• Linux Security Help: Nagios with BMC Patrol, Setting Up SSH and More(Jun 27, 2007)
• Firekeeper configuration: Hardening your Firefox browser(May 10, 2007)
• ServerWatch: Tip of the Trade: Bastille Linux(Sep 13, 2006)