Feature Articles

Need an in-depth introduction to a new security topic? Our features articles will bring up up-to-date on everything from buffer overflows to SE Linux policy development.

Protect Your Linux Web Apps and Meet Compliance Standards

Security is vital for your Linux web apps, but keeping up with the latest exploits and meeting compliance standards can quickly become overwhelming. ...
Apr 15, 2024
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Strategies for Improving Linux Security Through Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing

In the dynamic landscape of web development, ensuring t...
Apr 10, 2024
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Security Risks of Open-Source Software & Mitigations to Overcome Them

Open-source software, or OSS, has completely changed th...
Apr 04, 2024
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Discover LinuxSecurity Features

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Using the sec-wall Security Proxy

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This article full of examples will show you various ways to test services secured using sec-wall, a feature-packed high performance security proxy. We'll be using cURL, a popular Linux command line tool and PycURL - a Python interface to cURL. As of version 1.0, sec-wall supports HTTP Basic auth, digest auth, custom HTTP headers, XPath-based authentication, WS-Security & SSL/TLS client certificates and each of the options is being shown below.

Dave Copy 3 Dave Wreski
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sec-wall: Open Source Security Proxy

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sec-wall, a recently released security proxy is a one-stop place for everything related to securing HTTP/HTTPS traffic. Designed as a pragmatic solution to the question of securing servers using SSL/TLS certificates, WS-Security, HTTP Basic/Digest Auth, custom HTTP headers, XPath expressions with an option of modifying HTTP headers and URLs on the fly.

Dave Copy 3 Dave Wreski
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Meet the Anti-Nmap: PSAD

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Having a great defense involves proper detection and recognition of an attack. In our security world we have great IDS tools to properly recognize when we are being attacked as well as firewalls to prevent such attacks from happening. However, certain attacks are not blindly thrown at you - a good attacker knows that a certain amount of reconnaissance and knowledge about your defenses greatly increases the chances of a successful attack. How would you know if someone is scanning your defenses? Is there any way to properly respond to such scans? You bet there is...

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell

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Understand: Fork Bombing Attack

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Thanks to Anand Jahagirdar for this feature! As the variety of attacks and threats grow, you need to be prepared. In this HOWTO, get a feeling for the Fork Bombing Attack, what it is, how it works, where it comes from, how to deal with it and more.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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Master's Student: Social Engineering is not just a definition!

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We are happy to announce a new addition to the Linux Security Contributing Team: Gian G. Spicuzza. Currently a Graduate Student pursuing a Masters Degree in Computer Security (MSIA), Gian is a certified Linux/Unix administrator, the lead developer for the OSCAR-Backup System (at Sourceforge.com) and has experience in a variety of CSO, Management and consulting positions. His first topic is a quick foray into the world and psychology of Social Engineering: All the security in the world isn't going to stop one of your employees or coworkers from giving up information. Just how easy is it? Craig never worked for Linda's company, nor did he call from IT. Craig was an unethical hacker who just gained unauthorized access to her account. Why? Because a phone call is simple. Read on to see just how easy businesses can be exploited.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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SSH: Best Practices

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If you're reading LinuxSecurity.com then it's a safe bet that you are already using SSH, but are you using it in the best way possible? Have you configured it to be as limited and secure as possible? Read on for my best practices for using Secure Shell.

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Security Features of Firefox 3

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Lets take a look at the security features of Firefox 3. Since its release, I have been testing it out to see how the new security enhancements work and help in increase user browsing security. One of the exciting improvements for me was how Firefox handles SSL secured web sites while browsing the Internet. There are also many other security features that this article will look at. For example, improved plugin and addon security.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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Vulnerabilities in Web Applications

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The Internet has made the world smaller. In our routine usage we tend to overlook that "www" really does mean "world wide web" making virtually instant global communication possible. It has altered the rules of marketing and retailing. An imaginative website can give the small company as much impact and exposure as its much larger competitors. In the electronics, books, travel and banking sectors long established retail chains are increasingly under pressure from e-retailers. All this, however, has come at a price – ever more inventive and potentially damaging cyber crime. This paper aims to raise awareness by discussing common vulnerabilities and mistakes in web application development. It also considers mitigating factors, strategies and corrective measures.  

Ls Default Copy 1 Benjamin D. Thomas
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A Secure Nagios Server

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Nagios is a monitoring software designed to let you know about problems on your hosts and networks quickly. You can configure it to be used on any network. Setting up a Nagios server on any Linux distribution is a very quick process however to make it a secure setup it takes some work. This article will not show you how to install Nagios since there are tons of them out there but it will show you in detail ways to improve your Nagios security.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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HowTo: Secure your Ubuntu Apache Web Server

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Setting up a web server with Apache on a Linux distribution is a very quick process, however to make it a secure setup takes some work. This article will show you how to make your Apache web server more secure from an attack by effectively using Access control and authentication strategies.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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Creating Snort Rules with EnGarde

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There are already tons of written Snort rules, but there just might be a time where you need to write one yourself. You can think of writing Snort rules as writing a program. They can include variables, keywords and functions. Why do we need to write rules? The reason is, without rules Snort will never detect someone trying to hack your machine. This HOWTO will give you confidence to write your own rules.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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Introduction: Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities

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Buffer overflows are a leading type of security vulnerability. This paper explains what a buffer overflow is, how it can be exploited, and what countermeasures can be taken to prevent the use of buffer overflow vulnerabilities.

Ls Default Copy 1 Erica R. Thomas
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Network Security Audit (Part II)

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In the First part of Network Security we had a brief overview of the areas that are to be considered on accessing a network's security and also we looked into a few points in each of Management and Administration areas.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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Measuring Security IT Success

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In a time where budgets are constrained and Internet threats are on the rise, it is important for organizations to invest in network security applications that will not only provide them with powerful functionality but also a rapid return on investment.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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Buffer Overflow Basics

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A buffer overflow occurs when a program or process tries to store more data in a temporary data storage area than it was intended to hold. Since buffers are created to contain a finite amount of data, the extra information can overflow into adjacent buffers, corrupting or overwriting the valid data held in them.

Ls Default Copy 1 Benjamin D. Thomas
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Hacks From Pax: Network Server Monitoring With Nmap

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Hi, and welcome back to another edition of Hacks From Pax. Today we'll discuss hardening Linux servers by scanning for unnecessarily open network ports, and we'll show you how to automate port scanning so you can easily monitor your network for vulnerabilities.

Ls Default Copy 1 Anthony Pell
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