Securing Linux: A Survival Guide for Linux Security [Paperback]

David Koconis (Author), Jim Murray (Author), Jos Purvis (Author), Darrin Wassom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

As the Linux operating system has matured and grown in popularity, security risks have increased. SANS is pleased to announce publication of Securing Linux, a collaborative effort from many authorities who work with and secure Linux on a daily basis. This new addition to the Security Step-by-Step guides is not just an update to the previous Linux Step-by-Step from SANS. The book is a complete rewrite from the ground up, showing the latest in best practices for securing a Linux system. Check it out: the 104-page definitive guide is not only for security experts. The novice experimenting with Linux at home or in the workplace will benefit from this guide, which covers both workstations and many server setups. By using example scripts and the accompanying text that explains why a task should be carried out, you can increase the security of your Linux system.

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: SANS Institute (February 1, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 097242735X
• ISBN-13: 978-0972427357
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,340,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and Informative, April 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Securing Linux: A Survival Guide for Linux Security (Paperback)

Why does every book on Linux try to tackle too many issues? Let's face it, 700-800 or even a 1000 pages is just TOO much information. If you are looking for a complete and concise guide to securing your Red Hat Linux installation then I HIGHLY recommend picking up this book.

I would rank this as a book that is perfect for intermediate Unix admins but a colleague of mine without ANY Linux experience said she found this book to be a valuable resource in her steep learning curve. The book provides many examples of different configurations and provides great pointers to other resources if you want more information about a particular topic.

All in all, I was VERY impressed with this book and I would consider it a "must have" for anyone interested in securing their Red Hat Linux installations.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great technical manual!!, April 22, 2003

By 

Dr Anton Chuvakin "Dr. Anton Chuvakin" (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Securing Linux: A Survival Guide for Linux Security (Paperback)

The excellent SANS "Securing Linux Step by Step"guide suffers from a
major problem: you can't cut-and-paste the commands from it into your
Linux system! The desire to do so constantly appear while reading the
manual, and I was very eager to try some of the things described
thereof.

The guide presents ultimate hands-on, indeed as step-by-step as they
do. A little of text and a lot of commands to accomplish it! All
configuration "recipes" are supposed to be tested by many of the guide
contributors and reviewers. I have found no inaccuracies of any kind.

Its a pity that there is no way to cut and paste from the book and
click on links too. The guide begs to have a CD, floppy or a companion
site since commands need to be typed on the server.

The book starts from a nice security policy primer and a summary of
security principles, which even touch upon physical security, backups
and other useful operational issues.

The range of advice is wide and covers everything from very basic
passwords security to complicated methods of chrooting various network
daemons for extra security. The complete step-by-step instructions for
chrooting bind and ssh are provided together with several sample
configuration files. Tips on securing many Linux applications such as
Apache, Sendmail, Bind, Samba are also detailed in separate
chapters. Securing Wu-FTPD, however pointless it might be in light of
a flood of attacks, is also described. Its a pity that common
replacements such as qmail, proftpd and djbdns are not covered.

While other books offer more breadth (such as coverage of many
different tools etc), this is ideal for those seeking depth. This
guide would likely not win any literature prizes, but can save a life
of a Linux admin.

Moreover, even if you think you know _everything_ about Linux security
- read it anyway, since you find some new stuff, just like I did. On
the other hand, complete novices will also benefit from it greatly,
since even just typing the command blindly and then reading up on them
and gaining in-depth understanding is no the worst way to jump start
your Linux security expertise. Overall, if you own or administer a
Linux system - get the guide.

Anton Chuvakin, Ph.D., GCIA, GCIH is a Senior Security Analyst with a
major information security company. His areas of infosec expertise
include intrusion detection, UNIX security, forensics, honeypots,
etc. In his spare time he maintains his security portal
info-secure.org

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Linux Makes the World Load Faster, May 14, 2003

By 

"bfunkallstars" (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Securing Linux: A Survival Guide for Linux Security (Paperback)

Wow! What a book. Although I know very little about Linux as an OS, even less about security and can barely dress myself, I successfully used this book to set-up a secure, linux-based environment for my top-notch anime collection... All in all, I highly recommend this product...