Introduction to Linux Security

There is a saying in the security world that the only truly safe computer system is one that is disconnected from the network, switched off and buried six feet under ground. The sentiment may be somewhat true but it is hardly a practical solution to the problems we face today in protecting servers and desktops from outside intrusion.

There are more computer systems connected to the internet either directly or via local area networks than at any time in the history of technology and the numbers are growing at a rapid rate. It seems that not a month goes by without another story in the news about the internal network of a major corporation being compromised by an intruder. 

The simple fact is that there really is no such thing as a truly secure system as long is it is connected to a network. If the large corporations with expensive firewalls and talented IT staff can’t always stop criminals from breaking in what chance do the rest of us have?

Fortunately all is not lost and we do not have to pull the network cables out of the back of our computer systems. With careful planning and system configuration it is quite possible to create a secure environment that will cause the hacker to move on to the next, easier target without rendering the entire system useless.