TechRepublic: Linux 101: Basic network security | Linux Today

TechRepublic: Linux 101: Basic network security

Written By
JW
Jack Wallen
Jun 10, 2000

“Enterprise-wide security strategies require far more
explanation than I can possibly include in a 101 series (or even a
single article), so I’ll just run through a simple method of
locking down a machine on a LAN that is not behind a firewall and
that needs quick and cheap protection from unwanted guests.
Oh
yes; I’ll also keep in mind you’ll be doing so with limited Linux
knowledge.”

“The /etc/hosts.* files are crucial to a simple network. (In
fact, the /etc/hosts.deny file is crucial to the very powerful
portsentry application.) The /etc/hosts.allow and /etc/hosts.deny
files inform the system who can and who cannot enter the
machine.”

“The first stop for all incoming network traffic is
/etc/hosts.allow. This particular file is set up in the following
fashion: daemon_list : client_list”


Complete Story
(free registration required)

JW

Jack Wallen

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.