Protecting FOSS systems

Apache running on Fedora and Ubuntu has gained immense popularity among serious FOSS Web infrastructures and solutions. The very first step is to harden the Apache Web service itself; there are numerous guides and examples on the Internet regarding that—for each Linux distro, along with examples. Disabling ports other than the Web service port, and stopping and disabling unnecessary services is highly recommended. Deploying a wellconfigured firewall or intrusiondetection device is essential. As mentioned earlier, a simple firewall is not sufficient; hence, a contentfiltering firewall equipped to detect Web layer attacks is required. Securing Web portals is not limited to the Web server, but also extends to components such as database servers, Web services, etc. From the network security standpoint, allowing IP connections to the database only from frontend Web servers is a good idea. Running rootkit detectors, antivirus tools and log analysers must be a routine job, to prevent hacking attempts. For advanced security between the middleware and Web server, a stronger authentication mechanism should be in place too. Cookies should be encrypted and SSL deployed, with stronger cipher algorithms.

From the coding perspective, as we learnt earlier, it is essential to use secure programming techniques, and also to follow the best security practices, such as code reviews and penetration testing. Additional processes such as input code validation, server and databaseside validation, is recommended too. Web exploitation is a common way of attacking websites. Due to its easy availability and programmability, FOSS infrastructure is also susceptible to such attacks—and hence, network administrators must understand techniques to protect their infrastructure from information loss or theft.