7. Linux Systems
Some systems are more secure out of the box than others.
Unfortunately, Linux is not one of them.
As distributed, most Linux distributions (e.g. RedHat) have may things
turned on by default that you don’t need.
Be sure to edit all of the files in the start-up directory /etc/rc.d/init.d
and shut off anything you don’t need. For
example, if you don’t need your system to be a web server, rename the start-up
script that executes at boot time. If
you don’t want mail to come in or out, don’t start up Sendmail.
While Linux is a free and powerful operating system, it can
be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. It is also one of the more popular systems for hackers to
develop their code on because the software is free and all of the source code is
available. As a result, Linux is
one of the first operating systems where users discover that there is a new
security hole.
If you run Linux, be sure to keep up with all of the latest
security patches and developments. See
http://ww.linux.org for more information and
be sure you know what programs are running on all ports. If you simply install it from the CDROM and make no other
changes, your system will not be very secure.
