LinuxGazette.net: Securing a New Linux Installation

“From a security professional’s perspective, a number of common
Linux distributions are insecure ‘out of the box,’ and many of the
supplied packages are already out of date by the time they reach
the shelves. As the security of one’s computer and more importantly
its data is a priority concern, there are a number of steps that
should be taken at the time of installation to secure one’s
operating system as well as to help identify attempted or
successful attacks.

“These steps are listed below and each is expanded on in detail
in the sections that follow.

1. “Installation and configuration of an effective firewall
2. “The (automatic) updating of all installed packages
3. “Stopping and disabling of all unnecessary services
4. “Locating and removing/altering unnecessary SUID/SGID’s
5. “Logwatch and Tripwire…”

Complete
Story