“If you’re like most LinuxPPC users, a large portion of your
computing time is spent using network-based applications, either
explicitly or implicitly. Unless you maintain a private physical
link with each computer you communicate with, this means that your
are both sending and receiving data over shared networks. And this
in turn means that your communications are potentially vulnerable
to inquisitive (but unwelcome) eavesdroppers.”
“Why does this matter?” you might ask. “If I’m just browsing a
few web sites, checking my email, and occasionally logging in to a
machine at work or school, do I really need to worry about this?”
Well, if you don’t want to freely reveal personal information (i.e.
phone numbers, addresses, credit card numbers), or if you wish to
keep your email contents private, or if you wish to avoid giving
complete strangers access to your computers at work or school, then
you really should concern yourself with this. Our goal here is not
to be alarmist. Many poorly researched articles in the mainstream
media would have the average computer user believing that simply
waving a phone line anywhere near your computer opens up your
personal, financial, and academic records to any number of would-be
crackers. This article will outline the facts regarding Linux
communications security, stressing any precautions that should be
taken, and addressing options that may be available to you. This
way, you (the LinuxPPC user) can make informed decisions with
regard to how secure you wish your communications to be.”