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Mastering Linux Security and Hardening
Mastering Linux Security and Hardening

Mastering Linux Security and Hardening: A practical guide to protecting your Linux system from cyber attacks , Third Edition

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Mastering Linux Security and Hardening

Running Linux in a Virtual Environment

So, you may be asking yourself: Why do I need to study Linux security? Isn’t Linux already secure? After all, it’s not Windows. But the fact is, there are many reasons.

It’s true that Linux has certain advantages over Windows when it comes to security. These include the following:

  • Unlike Windows, Linux was designed from the ground up as a multiuser operating system. So, user security tends to be a bit better on a Linux system.
  • Linux offers a better separation between administrative users and unprivileged users. This makes it a bit harder for intruders, and it also makes it a bit harder for a user to accidentally infect a Linux machine with something nasty.
  • Linux is much more resistant to viruses and malware infections than Windows is. Certain Linux distributions come with built-in mechanisms, such as SELinux in Red Hat and its free-of-charge clones, and AppArmor in Ubuntu and SUSE, that help prevent intruders from taking control of a system.
  • Linux is free and open source software. This allows anyone who has the skill to audit Linux code to hunt for bugs or backdoors.

But even with those advantages, Linux is just like everything else that’s been created by mankind. That is, it isn’t perfect.

Here are the topics that we’ll cover in this chapter:

  • Looking at the threat landscape
  • Why every Linux administrator needs to learn about Linux security
  • A bit about the threat landscape, with some examples of how attackers have, at times, been able to breach Linux systems
  • Resources for keeping up with IT security news
  • Differences between physical, virtual, and cloud setups
  • Setting up Ubuntu Server and Red Hat-type virtual machines with VirtualBox, and installing the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository in the Red Hat-type virtual machines
  • Creating virtual machine snapshots
  • Installing Cygwin on a Windows host so that Windows users can connect to a virtual machine from their Windows hosts
  • Using the Windows 10/11 Bash shell to access Linux systems
  • How to keep your Linux systems updated

Let’s begin by talking about threats.

Looking at the threat landscape

If you’ve kept up with IT technology news over the past few years, you’ll likely have seen at least a few articles about how attackers have compromised Linux servers. For example, while it’s true that Linux isn’t really susceptible to virus infections, there have been several cases where attackers have planted other types of malware on Linux servers. Here are some examples:

  • Botnet malware: This causes a server to join a botnet that is controlled by a remote attacker. One of the more famous cases involved joining Linux servers to a botnet that launched denial-of-service (DoS) attacks against other networks.
  • Ransomware: This is designed to encrypt user data until the server owner pays a ransom fee. But even after paying the fee, there’s no guarantee that the data can be recovered.
  • Cryptocoin mining software: This causes the CPUs of the server on which it’s planted to work extra hard and consume more energy. Cryptocoins that get mined go to the accounts of the attackers who planted the software.

And, of course, there have been plenty of breaches that don’t involve malware, such as where attackers have found a way to steal user credentials, credit card data, or other sensitive information.

Some security breaches come about because of plain carelessness. Here’s an example of where a careless Adobe administrator placed the company’s private security key on a public security blog: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/09/in-spectacular-fail-adobe-security-team-posts-private-pgp-key-on-blog/.

Now, let’s talk a bit more about security breaches.

Why do security breaches happen?

Regardless of whether you’re running Linux, Windows, or whatever else, the reasons for security breaches are usually the same. They could be security bugs in the operating system or security bugs in an application that’s running on that operating system. Often, a bug-related security breach could have been prevented had the administrators applied security updates in a timely manner.

Another big issue is poorly configured servers. A standard, out-of-the-box configuration of a Linux server is actually quite insecure and can cause a whole ton of problems. One cause of poorly configured servers is simply the lack of properly trained personnel to securely administer Linux servers. (Of course, that’s great news for the readers of this book, because—trust me—there’s no lack of well-paying IT security jobs.)

And now, in addition to Linux on servers and desktops, we have Linux on devices that are part of the Internet of Things (IoT). There have been many security problems with these devices, in large part because people just don’t know how to configure them securely.

As we journey through this book, we’ll see how to do business the right way, to make our servers as secure as possible. One thing we can do is to keep up with security-related news.

Keeping up with security news

If you’re in the IT business, even if you’re not a security administrator, you’ll want to keep up with the latest security news. In the age of the Internet, that’s easy to do.

First, there are quite a few websites that specialize in network security news. Examples include Packet Storm Security and The Hacker News. Regular tech news sites and Linux news websites, such as Ars Technica, Fudzilla, The Register, ZDNet, and LXer, also carry reports about network security breaches. And, if you’d rather watch videos than read, you’ll find plenty of good YouTube channels, such as BeginLinux Guru.

Finally, regardless of which Linux distro you’re using, be sure to keep up with the news and current documentation for your Linux distro. Distro maintainers should have a way of letting you know if a security problem crops up in their products.

Here are some links to some good security-related websites:

Here are some links to more generalized tech websites:

You can check out some general Linux learning resources as well as Linux news sites:

(Full disclosure: I am the world-famous BeginLinux Guru.)

One thing to always remember as you go through this book is that the only operating system you’ll ever see that’s totally 100% secure will be installed on a computer that never gets turned on.

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Key benefits

  • Discover security techniques to prevent malware from infecting a Linux system, and detect it
  • Prevent unauthorized people from breaking into a Linux system
  • Protect important and sensitive data from being revealed to unauthorized persons

Description

The third edition of Mastering Linux Security and Hardening is an updated, comprehensive introduction to implementing the latest Linux security measures, using the latest versions of Ubuntu and AlmaLinux. In this new edition, you will learn how to set up a practice lab, create user accounts with appropriate privilege levels, protect sensitive data with permissions settings and encryption, and configure a firewall with the newest firewall technologies. You’ll also explore how to use sudo to set up administrative accounts with only the privileges required to do a specific job, and you’ll get a peek at the new sudo features that have been added over the past couple of years. You’ll also see updated information on how to set up a local certificate authority for both Ubuntu and AlmaLinux, as well as how to automate system auditing. Other important skills that you’ll learn include how to automatically harden systems with OpenSCAP, audit systems with auditd, harden the Linux kernel configuration, protect your systems from malware, and perform vulnerability scans of your systems. As a bonus, you’ll see how to use Security Onion to set up an Intrusion Detection System. By the end of this new edition, you will confidently be able to set up a Linux server that will be secure and harder for malicious actors to compromise.

Who is this book for?

This book is for Linux administrators, system administrators, and network engineers interested in securing moderate to complex Linux environments. Security consultants looking to enhance their Linux security skills will also find this book useful. Working experience with the Linux command line and package management is necessary to understand the concepts covered in this book.

What you will learn

  • Prevent malicious actors from compromising a production Linux system
  • Leverage additional features and capabilities of Linux in this new version
  • Use locked-down home directories and strong passwords to create user accounts
  • Prevent unauthorized people from breaking into a Linux system
  • Configure file and directory permissions to protect sensitive data
  • Harden the Secure Shell service in order to prevent break-ins and data loss
  • Apply security templates and set up auditing

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Feb 28, 2023
Length: 618 pages
Edition : 3rd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781837632626
Vendor :
Linux Foundation
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

What do you get with eBook?

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Product Details

Publication date : Feb 28, 2023
Length: 618 pages
Edition : 3rd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781837632626
Vendor :
Linux Foundation
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

21 Chapters
Section 1: Setting up a Secure Linux System Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Running Linux in a Virtual Environment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Securing Administrative User Accounts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Securing Normal User Accounts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Securing Your Server with a Firewall – Part 1 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Securing Your Server with a Firewall — Part 2 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Encryption Technologies Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
SSH Hardening Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 2: Mastering File and Directory Access Control (DAC) Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Mastering Discretionary Access Control Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Access Control Lists and Shared Directory Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 3: Advanced System Hardening Techniques Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Implementing Mandatory Access Control with SELinux and AppArmor Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Kernel Hardening and Process Isolation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Scanning, Auditing, and Hardening Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Logging and Log Security Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Vulnerability Scanning and Intrusion Detection Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Prevent Unwanted Programs from Running Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Security Tips and Tricks for the Busy Bee Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.6
(34 Ratings)
5 star 82.4%
4 star 8.8%
3 star 2.9%
2 star 2.9%
1 star 2.9%
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Dennis Stritzke Jan 22, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Feefo Verified review Feefo
Marek Zima Feb 13, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
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B. Justin Mar 15, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I really liked that many versions of Linux were covered here, I felt like nothing was left out. This is a great book to use to enhance your knowledge of security for Linux. There are great labs that lay out step by step what to do, and they are easy to follow along with. I particularly learned a lot on the logging chapter, which was very helpful to me and what I do for work. Overall this is very well written, easy to follow along, and has a ton of knowledge - I highly recommend it!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Neha D. Mar 02, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book is great in that it covers ways and tips to secure Linux systems. It has a very practical approach with well written examples and great explanation for why/how. The tips that are scattered throughout the book are very informative.This is a great book to keep handy and refer it as we need to. I enjoyed reading through it.
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AD Mar 21, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
It has been a while since I have classified a book as "interactive" and its not a lab workbook. I am truly impressed thus far which the labs that are present in the chapters!!! Anyone that gets this book will not be disappointed.
Amazon Verified review Amazon