return to first page linux journal archive
keywordscontents

Book Review

Linux System Security: The Administrator's Guide to Open Source

Security Tools

Buy this book today!

Linux System Security offers ways to protect Linux systems from break-in, as well as to detect evidence of attacks quickly. The book is intended to provide readers with skills, knowledge and tools that will allow them to prepare their systems for use in production environments. The methods discussed are from the perspective of restricting use to authorized access and making it as difficult as possible for crackers to gain access.

The book covers all aspects of Linux security and has plenty of practical tools and techniques for achieving it. The authors discuss common hacks and penetrations of Linux systems and show administrators how to protect themselves, set traps and trail hackers, using publicly available, open-source security tools. The tools are used to analyze, protect and monitor systems and networks.

In order to provide an accurate representation of the book's contents, the following is a summary of each of the 18 chapters in Linux System Security.

At the end of the book, there are two appendices. Appendix A provides a list of web sites, e-mail lists and news groups that offer additional information about securing computer systems. Appendix B provides a list of several other tools that were not covered in the book.

Linux Systems Security is an essential book for system administrators and security professionals. It covers topics related to Linux systems security with a focus on freely available tools. The book helps identify system vulnerabilities and offers plans for security administration. It highlights how to detect intrusions and how to secure file systems, e-mail, web servers and other key applications. The book also emphasizes administrative security duties with discussions of system accounts, logging, superuser safety and secure network services.

A nice feature of the book is that the authors approach the subject from a practical point of view by emphasizing the use of software and providing references at the end of each chapter for further investigation. Another characteristic is the use of many examples, charts, tables and graphs to illustrate complex processes and concepts.

If you depend on Linux to run mission-critical networks, and you want to protect your Linux system, the procedures outlined in this book will certainly reduce your system's level of vulnerability.

Ibrahim F. Haddad (ibrahim.haddad@lmc.ericsson.se) works for Ericsson Research Canada in the Systems Research Division. He is currently a Dr Sc candidate in computer science at Concordia University in Montreal.