PROTECT YOUR BITS

It may be the end times out there, but Jonni Bidwell will help your Linux boxes weather the storm,

WHAT’S TO COME… “We will look at everything from next-gen logins with hardware tokens to basics like SSH keys.”

When you install Linux on your desktop, then as long as you install an up-to-date distro the chances are you’re reasonably secure. The same is true for servers, as long as you choose a strong password (or disable password access altogether and use SSH keys instead). There’s a faction of the Linux-using populous that still likes to bang the “Linux is more secure than Windows” drum, but this isn’t really true anymore. Both Linux and Windows have multiple layers of security coded by very smart people. Both Linux and Windows rapidly patch emergent security issues. And neither Linux nor Windows can do a whole lot about flaws in whatever software people choose to run on them, and they certainly can’t do anything about users configuring that software in an overly permissive manner.

We’ll look at how to shore up defences on Linux, whether on the desktop, server or up in the clouds. We’ll cover passwords, keys, firewalls and much more to keep your data safe. We’ll focus more on security than privacy, so won’t be talking Tor, VPNS or Whonix, but there’s no reason why these can’t be used with the setups we’ll discuss.

What we will look at is everything from next-gen logins with hardware tokens to basics like SSH keys. We’ve also got tips for shoring up and more. Let’s start with a survey of Linux security features, and how they get thwarted.