2004.03_Defending Data.pdf

COVER STORY

Linux Security Intro

Defending Data

First the good news. So far, Linux systems have managed to avoid attacks that cause widespread damage. And now the

bad news: there is no guarantee that things will stay this way. BY ULRICH WOLF

will continue to spread, but at

the same time that means that

more and more inexperienced users will

be moving to Linux. Because of their

pervasiveness, Linux systems are becom-

ing increasingly attractive targets for

widespread attacks. Will the Linux trend

produce a generation of users who

access the Internet without any protec-

tion, fail to password protect their office

PCs, and store home banking PINs in

text files on their computers – just like

many Windows users are rumored to do?

Who knows?

One thing is for sure, the age of inno-

cence is a thing of the past. There is

some indication that users are slowly but

surely becoming aware of the dangers.

Script kiddies, spammers and dubious

business practices have put an end to the

Internet’s reputation as a friendly open

cyberspace. The Web can be a hostile

place, just like the rest of the world. It is

time to get used to that. Protecting the IT

resources placed in your care should no

longer be regarded as an exercise in ego-

ism, but as one for the common good.

After all, insecure systems are commonly

used as a platform from which to launch

further attacks.

In this issue, we will not limit our-

selves to introducing tools and

explaining their usage – as is so often the

case in security literature. Instead, we

aim to cultivate more awareness of secu-

rity basics. This issue kicks off with an

article on whether Open Source is really

more secure. It discusses how we can

judge this, and where Open Source

should be going in the future, if we want

to stay ahead of the field.

We then take a look at the Adamantix

distribution. In contrast to Debian,

Adamantix contains patches and pro-

grams that proactively enhance the

distribution’s security.

It is followed by an article on fire-

walls, which – although essential

security components – cannot

provide complete protection.

Then it is time for us to

get tough: hardening

the Linux kernel, and

Linux applications,

is one of the ulti-

mate challenges

in the field of

security.

You can look forward to inside informa-

tion straight from the developers of PaX.

To top it all off, this month’s DVD fea-

tures the Adamantix distribution – in our

opinion one of the most promising hard-

ened distributions on today’s market.

■

COVER STORY

Open Source Security .......... 20

How can we be sure that Open Source is

secure and what should we aim for?

Adamantix ................................. 24

A hardened Debian derivative which is

proactive in security.

Firewall GUIs ............................. 28

Checkpoint FW1 and Firewall Builder

compared.

PaX Memory Protection ..... 36

The principles behind the PaX memory pro-

tection kernel patch.

March 2004

www.linux-magazine.com

Linux Security

O f course, we all hope that Linux

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