Security Strategies in Linux Platforms and Applications

Chapter 4. User Privileges and Permissions

IT MAY SEEM LIKE A CLICHÉ, but security starts with you. That's also an appropriate slogan for your users. Linux privileges and permissions for users start with the shadow password suite. The privileges available to a Linux user may seem like high school in a way, as they depend on the groups to which users belong. In this chapter, you'll see how to set up Linux users with a variety of permissions and privileges. You'll also see how users with a common interest can be set up in their own special group.

Of course, some users are more trusted than others. Those users may be given a variety of administrative privileges. Linux logs allow you to track who logs in—and who tries and fails to log in—to monitored ...