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 headlines.

LinuxSecurity.com Feature Extras:

Securing a Linux Web Server - With the significant prevalence of Linux web servers globally, security is often touted as a strength of the platform for such a purpose. However, a Linux based web server is only as secure as its configuration and very often many are quite vulnerable to compromise. While specific configurations vary wildly due to environments or specific use, there are various general steps that can be taken to insure basic security considerations are in place.

Password guessing with Medusa 2.0 - Medusa was created by the fine folks at foofus.net, in fact the much awaited Medusa 2.0 update was released in February of 2010. For a complete change log please visit

Phishers Put Old-School Twist on Online Scams (Nov 8)

The Anti Phishing Working Group is now lending its expertise to the IRS to help root out online and offline phishing scams that use a combination of e-mails and faxes to steal identities.
(Nov 5)

With Android 4.4 KitKat, Google has an opportunity to show that when it comes to security, the next version of the mobile operating system is ready for business. While we don't know whether Google will take up the challenge, security experts provided Wednesday their wish lists of enterprise-pleasing features.
Implanted Bluetooth biochip gets under hacker's skin (Nov 4)

A "DIY cyborg" has a surgically implanted chip that reads his body temperature and delivers the data to a mobile device. Warning: his subcutaneous sensor might make your own skin crawl.
(Nov 7)

I like this idea of giving each individual login attempt a risk score, based on the characteristics of the attempt: The risk score estimates the risk associated with a log-in attempt based on a user's typical log-in and usage profile, taking into account their device and geographic location, the system they're trying to access, the time of day they typically log in, their device's IP address, and even their typing speed.
How One Hacker's Mistake Fashioned the Internet You Use Today (Nov 4)

The Department of Defense thought the Russians were attacking.An MIT computer called PREP was the first to be penetrated. It was Nov. 2, 1988, and the time was approximately 8 p.m. Within hours and into the following morning, an estimated 10% of all machines connected to the Internet would crash, overloaded with several copies of a mysterious program.
Android KitKat Security Teardown: 4 Hits, 1 Miss (Nov 7)

The latest version of Google's Android operating system (version 4.4) -- known as "KitKat" and released last week -- includes a slew of changes: a streamlined footprint so it can run on devices with scant RAM, better animations and graphics acceleration, plus snappier device-wide search and a new phone dialer app. But what's new on the information security front?
(Nov 7)

Researchers have uncovered software available on the Internet designed to overload the struggling Healthcare.gov website with more traffic than it can handle.
(Nov 5)

I'm so excited to present to you my next-generation enterprise software-as-a-service CRM that also be an on-prem component for safety and security.Did y'all just die a little, too?
SSL Study Shows Most Sites Incorrectly Configured (Nov 8)

Secure Sockets Layer is a standard mechanism websites use to help secure data and transactions, but according to Qualys security researcher Ivan Ristic, most SSL sites are actually misconfigured.Ristic delivered his study here at the Black Hat security conference as an update to the preliminary data he published last month.
Anonymous' 'Million Mask March' goes global (Nov 11)

Hundreds of protests around the world sparked up on Tuesday in what the hacking collective Anonymous called the "Million Mask March." Donning Guy Fawkes masks, the demonstrators' goal was to "defend humanity."
Want to protect your Android phone? Here's how to kill its crapware. (Nov 11)

The pre-installed crapware that fills many Android phones is more than just annoying -- it also frequently opens up big security holes. Here's how to kill the crapware and keep your phone safe and in tip-top shape.
NSA spying prompts open TrueCrypt encryption software audit to go viral (Nov 11)

A unique effort to crowdsource a security audit of the popular TrueCrypt open source encryption software appears to be going viral three weeks after it was launched by two U.S. based researchers in response to concerns that the National Security Agency may have tampered with it.