Security Strategies in Linux Platforms and Applications, 3rd Edition

Maintaining a Gold Baseline

A gold baseline is secure. It stays secure because only copies of that baseline are used in production. Just like any other system, however, it must be kept up to date. By its very nature, the software in a gold baseline is focused on the core commands and libraries associated with a distribution, along with the Linux kernel. It may include critical services associated with all systems, such as the Secure Shell (SSH) and system log services. An attacker who breaks into any of these systems could more easily gain access to all systems associated with every Linux distribution.

Although the diversity of available Linux distributions does help promote overall security, that diversity does not extend to the core bits associated ...