“In 1999, Linux was the only server-class operating system to
increase its market share. Not even Windows NT did that. Linux has
entered into prime time.”
“Linux offers an incredible wealth of tools and services, the
bulk of which are completely open source. With its new-found
popularity, security is now becoming an ever-increasing concern.
Once the playground of computer hackers who generally knew the
principles of securing their systems, Linux is now beginning to be
used by the computer novice who reads about it in magazines or sees
it on TV and decides to try it. Security is often an afterthought.
When they want to secure their system, novice users don’t know
where to begin. With the recent rise of new attack tools that can
use multiple systems to flood commercial sites, unsecured systems
become a serious threat to the well being of the Internet.”
“This series of articles is designed to help users secure their
Linux systems. I will describe methods that attackers use to gain
information and access systems. I will then discuss countermeasures
for defeating these attacks. Finally, I will list Web sites,
mailing lists and books where you can find more information,
including the latest vulnerabilities and attacks. It is important
to emphasize that security is not a one-time proposition. You need
to continue to update your system. As new attacks are discovered,
new defenses will need to be implemented.”