Linux Server Security, Second Edition

This is the Title of the Book, eMatter Edition

Copyright © 2007 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.

Preface

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• How to compile and install software packages from source

• Basic installation and setup of your operating system and hardware

Notably absent from this list is any specific application expertise: most security appli-

cations discussed herein (e.g., OpenSSH, Swatch, and Tripwire) are covered from the

ground up.

I do assume, however, that with the non-security-specific applications covered in this

book, such as Apache and BIND, you’re resourceful enough to get any information

you need from other sources. In other words, if you’re new to these applications, you

shouldn’t have any trouble following my procedures on how to harden them. But

you’ll need to consult their respective manpages, HOWTOs, etc. to learn how to

fully configure and maintain them.

Organization of This Book

This book provides a comprehensive approach to security by giving you guidelines

for securing a system along with configuration details for particular services.

Chapter 1, Threat Modeling and Risk Management, introduces the proper attitude

and mental habits for thinking securely, including two systematic ways to assess risk:

Annualized Loss Expectancies and Attack Trees.

Chapter 2, Designing Perimeter Networks, describes where in your network topology

to place firewalls and bastion hosts.

Chapter 3, Hardening ...