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LINUX ADVISORY WATCH - This week, perhaps the most interesting articles include zope, gtk, certericq, gdk-pixbuf, horde2, inkscape, chmlib, fuse, netpbm, and the kernel. The distributors include Debian, Gentoo, and Mandriva.
LinuxSecurity.com Feature Extras:
Hacks From Pax: SELinux Administration - This week, I'll talk about how an SELinux system differs from a standard Linux system in terms of administration. Most of what you already know about Linux system administration will still apply to an SELinux system, but there are some additions and changes that are critical to understand when using SELinux.
Linux File & Directory Permissions Mistakes - One common mistake Linux administrators make is having file and directory permissions that are far too liberal and allow access beyond that which is needed for proper system operations. A full explanation of unix file permissions is beyond the scope of this article, so I'll assume you are familiar with the usage of such tools as chmod, chown, and chgrp. If you'd like a refresher, one is available right here on linuxsecurity.com.
Introduction: Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities - 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.
Bulletproof Virus Protection - Protect your network from costly security breaches with Guardian Digital’s multi-faceted security applications. More then just an email firewall, on demand and scheduled scanning detects and disinfects viruses found on the network. Click to find out more!
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Thank you for reading the LinuxSecurity.com weekly security newsletter. The purpose of this document is to provide our readers with a quick summary of each week's most relevant Linux security headline.
| A very long chat with Debian's Branden Robinson | ||
4th, December, 2005
What's your personal point of view about Security? I think it's important. To elaborate, security is important for pretty much the same reason software freedom is important. I believe the user needs to have control over his or her computing environment. A corporate colossus that won't let you modify the operation of your machine, and a malicious hacker who has turned your computer into a "zombie" for sending spam mail, are both examples of activity that disempower the person who should have authority over their property. |
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| 10 things you should do to prepare a new Linux installation | ||
2nd, December, 2005
There are over 200 different Linux distributions and you will need the patches that are specific to your distribution. Search for needed patches on the web site of your distribution maintainer (example: Debian; Redhat; Lindows, etc.). Other sources for updated software are Freshmeat; Ibiblio; and Linuxberg. Some systems use package managers, such as rpm (Red Hat Package Manager) or deb (Debian Package Manager), while others will require a little more effort. These links should provide access to updated software as well as pretty clear instructions for installation. Be sure to read the documentation since there may be dependencies that will need to be satisfied to ensure a smooth update. |
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| SSL VPNs: Remote Access for the Masses | ||
28th, November, 2005
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for remote access is based on a simple concept: use the encryption and authentication capabilities built into every Web browser to provide secure remote access to corporate applications. By combining SSL-enabled Web brow- sers with a secure gateway to terminate connections and provide policy enforcement and access control, so-called SSL VPNs provide access to Web-based, legacy client/server, and terminal applications from anywhere-home PCs, hotel business centers, Internet cafes, or a business partner's LAN-without an IPSec VPN client. It's one of those ideas that make you say "Why didn't I think of that?" |
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| Why Duplicate Packets May Appear on SPAN Ports | ||
1st, December, 2005
I noticed a post to snort-users today asking if Snort had a problem with duplicate packets: "We have a range of switches being used within our network for port monitoring, and a couple have had to be set up in such a way that you can end up seeing each packet TWICE on the snort interface. I've been told by our network engineers that this has to be the case in order for the IDS to see the networks it needs to on one card." I think I know why this is happening. I cover this issue in day one of my Network Security Operations course. |
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| Open-source to the Rescue Again | ||
30th, November, 2005
Traffic on the network had increased all week, but the intrusion-detection system wasn't picking up any malicious traffic. Whatever traffic was traversing the network was considered OK. The servers and desktop systems were all at current patch levels, switches at current IOS levels. Sophos Anti-Virus wasn't showing any virus activity. We hadn't installed any new devices on the network. Yet something had changed and was causing problems. |
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| How to build and use a Honeypot | ||
2nd, December, 2005
Everybody has gotten hacked one way or another when dealing with computers. When I ran across the idea of a honeypot and what exactly it was I became intrigued with the idea of actually getting back at these mysterious hackers. I want to build a honeypot, put it on my home network, and see what I can attract. I will build a honeypot and put it out for business. I researched what the ideal computer set up would be and built one. I will discuss the computer, how to build one, and what my results were. |
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| Open Source Backup and Archiving Project Amanda Grows Up | ||
29th, November, 2005
Amanda is the world's most popular open source Backup and Archiving software. Amanda allows system administrators to set up a single backup server to back up multiple hosts to a tape- or disk-based storage system. Amanda uses native dump and/or GNU tar facilities and can back up a large number of workstations running various versions of Linux, Unix, OS X or Microsoft Windows operating systems. |
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| Simplifying backups | ||
30th, November, 2005
Most computer users don't make use of a system backup tool until after they suffer the misfortunes of a hard drive crash without one. But even then, many find backup software too complicated to configure, and there seems to be little in between creating CD or DVD archives by hand and overpowered network backup systems designed for the enterprise. The Simple Backup Suite (sbackup) is a tool for configuring regular backups of system data and simplifying full and partial recoveries. |
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| Linux - the new target for threats? | ||
1st, December, 2005
When one thinks of malicious attacks on a businesses network, most assume that the organisation has taken all necessary precautions. But what happens in a Linux or “open source†| ||
