Linux consistently turns up high in the list of popular Internet servers, whether it's for the Web, anonymous FTP, or general services like DNS and routing mail. But security is uppermost on the mind of anyone providing such a service. Any server experiences casual probe attempts dozens of time a day, and serious break-in attempts with some frequency as well. As the cost of broadband and other high-speed Internet connectivity has gone down, and its availability has increased, more Linux users are providing or considering providing Internet services such as HTTP, Anonymous FTP, etc., to the world at large. At the same time, some important, powerful, and popular Open Source tools have emerged and rapidly matured--some of which rival expensive commercial equivalents--making Linux a particularly appropriate platform for providing secure Internet services. Building Secure Servers with Linux will help you master the principles of reliable system and network security by combining practical advice with a firm knowledge of the technical tools needed to ensure security. The book focuses on the most common use of Linux--as a hub offering services to an organization or the larger Internet--and shows readers how to harden their hosts against attacks. Author Mick Bauer, a security consultant, network architect, and lead author of the popular Paranoid Penguin column in Linux Journal, carefully outlines the security risks, defines precautions that can minimize those risks, and offers recipes for robust security. The book does not cover firewalls, but covers the more common situation where an organization protects its hub using other systems as firewalls, often proprietary firewalls. The book includes: Precise directions for securing common services, including the Web, mail, DNS, and file transfer. Ancillary tasks, such as hardening Linux, using SSH and certificates for tunneling, and using iptables for firewalling. Basic installation of intrusion detection tools. Writing for Linux users with little security expertise, the author explains security concepts and techniques in clear language, beginning with the fundamentals. Building Secure Servers with Linux provides a unique balance of "big picture" principles that transcend specific software packages and version numbers, and very clear procedures on securing some of those software packages. An all-inclusive resource for Linux users who wish to harden their systems, the book covers general security as well as key services such as DNS, the Apache Web server, mail, file transfer, and secure shell. With this book in hand, you'll have everything you need to ensure robust security of your Linux system.

Building Secure Servers with Linux will help you master the principles of reliable system and network security by combining practical advice with a firm knowledge of the technical tools needed to ensure security. The book focuses on the most common use of Linux--as a hub offering services to an organization or the larger Internet. The book does not cover firewalls, but covers the more common situation where an organization protects its hub using other systems as firewalls, often proprietary firewalls. Writing for Linux users with little security expertise, the author explains security concepts and techniques in clear language beginning with the fundamentals. An all-inclusive resource for Linux users who wish to harden their systems, the book covers general security as well as key services such as DNS, the Apache Web server, mail, file transfer, and secure shell. With this book in hand, you'll have everything you need to ensure robust security of your Linux system.

A concise but comprehensive guide to providing the best possible security for a server, with examples and background to help you understand the issues involved. For each of the tasks or services covered, this book lays out the reasons for security, the risks and needs involved, the background to understand the solutions, and step by step guidelines for doing the job.

Learn how to attack and defend the world’s most popular web server platform Linux Server Security: Hack and Defend presents a detailed guide for experienced admins, aspiring hackers and other IT professionals seeking a more advanced understanding of Linux security. Written by a 20-year veteran of Linux server deployment this book provides the insight of experience along with highly practical instruction. The topics range from the theory of past, current, and future attacks, to the mitigation of a variety of online attacks, all the way to empowering you to perform numerous malicious attacks yourself (in the hope that you will learn how to defend against them). By increasing your understanding of a hacker’s tools and mindset you're less likely to be confronted by the all-too-common reality faced by many admins these days: someone else has control of your systems. Master hacking tools and launch sophisticated attacks: perform SQL injections, deploy multiple server exploits and crack complex passwords. Defend systems and networks: make your servers invisible, be confident of your security with penetration testing and repel unwelcome attackers. Increase your background knowledge of attacks on systems and networks and improve all-important practical skills required to secure any Linux server. The techniques presented apply to almost all Linux distributions including the many Debian and Red Hat derivatives and some other Unix-type systems. Further your career with this intriguing, deeply insightful, must-have technical book. Diverse, broadly-applicable and hands-on practical, Linux Server Security: Hack and Defend is an essential resource which will sit proudly on any techie's bookshelf.

This book is for Web developers who want to learn how to use Linux and Apache for website hosting. The text covers installation of Linux and Apache 2.0 on a home or office machine for testing purposes and how to perform dozens of common administration, security and optimization tasks.

FreeBSD and OpenBSD are increasingly gaining traction in educational institutions, non-profits, and corporations worldwide because they provide significant security advantages over Linux. Although a lot can be said for the robustness, clean organization, and stability of the BSD operating systems, security is one of the main reasons system administrators use these two platforms.There are plenty of books to help you get a FreeBSD or OpenBSD system off the ground, and all of them touch on security to some extent, usually dedicating a chapter to the subject. But, as security is commonly named as the key concern for today's system administrators, a single chapter on the subject can't provide the depth of information you need to keep your systems secure.FreeBSD and OpenBSD are rife with security "building blocks" that you can put to use, and Mastering FreeBSD and OpenBSD Security shows you how. Both operating systems have kernel options and filesystem features that go well beyond traditional Unix permissions and controls. This power and flexibility is valuable, but the colossal range of possibilities need to be tackled one step at a time. This book walks you through the installation of a hardened operating system, the installation and configuration of critical services, and ongoing maintenance of your FreeBSD and OpenBSD systems.Using an application-specific approach that builds on your existing knowledge, the book provides sound technical information on FreeBSD and Open-BSD security with plenty of real-world examples to help you configure and deploy a secure system. By imparting a solid technical foundation as well as practical know-how, it enables administrators to push their server's security to the next level. Even administrators in other environments--like Linux and Solaris--can find useful paradigms to emulate.Written by security professionals with two decades of operating system experience, Mastering FreeBSD and OpenBSD Security features broad and deep explanations of how how to secure your most critical systems. Where other books on BSD systems help you achieve functionality, this book will help you more thoroughly secure your deployments.

A comprehensive guide to mastering the art of preventing your Linux system from getting compromised. Key Features Leverage this guide to confidently deliver a system that reduces the risk of being hacked Perform a number of advanced Linux security techniques such as network service detection, user authentication, controlling special permissions, encrypting file systems, and much more Master the art of securing a Linux environment with this end-to-end practical guide Book DescriptionThis book has extensive coverage of techniques that will help prevent attackers from breaching your system, by building a much more secure Linux environment. You will learn various security techniques such as SSH hardening, network service detection, setting up firewalls, encrypting file systems, protecting user accounts, authentication processes, and so on. Moving forward, you will also develop hands-on skills with advanced Linux permissions, access control, special modes, and more. Lastly, this book will also cover best practices and troubleshooting techniques to get your work done efficiently. By the end of this book, you will be confident in delivering a system that will be much harder to compromise.What you will learn Use various techniques to prevent intruders from accessing sensitive data Prevent intruders from planting malware, and detect whether malware has been planted Prevent insiders from accessing data that they aren’t authorized to access Do quick checks to see whether a computer is running network services that it doesn’t need to run Learn security techniques that are common to all Linux distros, and some that are distro-specific Who this book is for If you are a systems administrator or a network engineer interested in making your Linux environment more secure, then this book is for you. Security consultants wanting to enhance their Linux security skills will also benefit from this book. Prior knowledge of Linux is mandatory.