Linux Security Fundamentals

Description

Linux Security Fundamentals provides basic foundational concepts of securing a Linux environment. The focus is the digital self-defense of an individual user. This includes a general understanding of major threats against individual computing systems, networks, services and identity as well as approaches to prevent and mitigate them.

This book is useful for anyone considering a career as a Linux administrator or for those administrators who need to learn more about Linux security issues. Topics include:

• Security Concepts
• Encryption
• Node, Device and Storage Security
• Network and Service Security
• Identity and Privacy

Readers will also have access to Sybex’s superior online interactive learning environment and test bank, including chapter tests, a practice exam, electronic flashcards, a glossary of key terms.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction xiii
2. Chapter 1 Using Digital Resources Responsibly 1
   1. Protecting Personal Rights 2
   2. Protecting Digital Privacy 4
   3. What is Personal Data? 4
   4. Where Might My Personal Data Be Hanging Out? 4
   5. What Are My Responsibilities as a Site Administrator? 6
   6. Can Escaped Genies Be Forced Back into Their Bottles? 6
   7. What Can I Do as a User? 7
   8. Establishing Authenticity 7
   9. Think About the Source 8
   10. Be Aware of Common Threat Categories 8
   11. Summary 9
   12. Back to the Basics 10
   13. Review Questions 11
3. Chapter 2 What Are Vulnerabilities and Threats? 15
   1. The Basics: What Are We Trying to Accomplish Here? 16
   2. What Are Vulnerabilities and Threats? 17
   3. What Can Be Exploited? 17
   4. Who’s Doing the Exploiting? 18
   5. Why Do They Attack? 19
   6. Common Vulnerabilities 20
   7. Software Vulnerabilities 20
   8. Hardware Vulnerabilities 21
   9. Bioware Vulnerabilities 21
   10. Digital Espionage 21
   11. USB Devices 21
   12. Backdoors 22
   13. Wireless Entry Points 22
   14. Stolen Credentials 23
   15. Data Breaches 23
   16. Identity Theft (Besides Breaches) 24
   17. Malware 24
   18. Network-Based Attacks 25
   19. Man-in-the-Middle Attacks 25
   20. Denial-of-Service and Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks 26
   21. Network Routing Attacks 26
   22. Summary 26
   23. Back to the Basics 27
   24. Review Questions 28
4. Chapter 3 Controlling Access to Your Assets 33
   1. Controlling Physical Access 34
   2. Understanding Your Devices 34
   3. Protecting Your Devices 36
   4. Managing Authentication Through Effective Password Use 38
   5. Managing Authorization Through Permissions 44
   6. Controlling Network Access 45
   7. Firewalls 45
   8. Virus and Malware Protection 48
   9. Educating Your Users 49
   10. Controlling Software Sources 50
   11. PC Software Repositories 51
   12. Mobile Package Management 51
   13. Summary 52
   14. Back to the Basics 52
   15. Review Questions 54
5. Chapter 4 Controlling Network Connections 59
   1. Understanding Network Architecture 60
   2. The Transmission Control Protocol 60
   3. The Internet Protocol 61
   4. Understanding the Domain Name System 64
   5. Auditing Networks 65
   6. Network Auditing Tools 66
   7. Automating Audits 70
   8. Securing Networks 71
   9. Patch Your Software 71
   10. Physically Secure Your Infrastructure 73
   11. Secure Your Network Behavior 73
   12. Other Stuff 74
   13. Summary 74
   14. Back to the Basics 75
   15. Review Questions 76
6. Chapter 5 Encrypting Your Data at Rest 81
   1. What is Encryption? 82
   2. Encryption Usage Patterns 85
   3. What Should You Encrypt? 85
   4. Understanding Hashing vs. Encryption 86
   5. What Are Blockchains? 86
   6. Encryption Technologies 87
   7. Summary 89
   8. Back to the Basics 89
   9. Review Questions 90
7. Chapter 6 Encrypting Your Moving Data 93
   1. Website Encryption 94
   2. Why You Should Use Encryption 95
   3. How Website Encryption Works 96
   4. Generating Certificates 98
   5. Email Encryption 99
   6. GNU Privacy Guard 100
   7. Does Gmail Encrypt Your Emails? 100
   8. Working with VPN Connections and Software Repositories 100
   9. Securing Your Actions Using VPNs 101
   10. Securing Transfers from Software Repositories 104
   11. Summary 105
   12. Back to the Basics 105
   13. Review Questions 106
8. Chapter 7 Risk Assessment 109
   1. Conducting Open Source Intelligence Gathering 111
   2. Accessing Public Vulnerability Databases 112
   3. Vulnerability Data Frameworks 112
   4. Vulnerability Data Formats 113
   5. Vulnerability Data Metrics 114
   6. Vulnerability Data Management Tools 114
   7. Conducting Vulnerability Scans 115
   8. Conducting Penetration Tests 117
   9. Attack Vectors 118
   10. Tooling Frameworks 118
   11. Follow-Up 119
   12. Summary 119
   13. Back to the Basics 120
   14. Review Questions 121
9. Chapter 8 Configuring System Backups and Monitoring 125
   1. Why You Need to Get Backups Right the First Time 127
   2. Appreciating the Risks 128
   3. Spreading Your Backups Across Multiple Sites 129
   4. Testing Your Backups 130
   5. Meeting Regulatory Compliance 131
   6. Backup Types 132
   7. Incremental Backups 132
   8. Differential Backups 133
   9. Backup Life Cycles 133
   10. Multitier Backups 133
   11. Multisite Storage Solutions 134
   12. Disaster Recovery Planning 134
   13. Configuring Monitoring and Alerts 135
   14. Working with System Logs 135
   15. Intrusion Detection 136
   16. Summary 137
   17. Back to the Basics 138
   18. Review Questions 139
10. Chapter 9 Resource Isolation Design Patterns 143
    1. Configuring Network Firewalling 145
    2. Balancing Public and Private Networks 145
    3. Building Isolated Development Environments 147
    4. Working with Sandbox Environments 148
    5. Use Cases for Sandboxes 148
    6. Sandbox Designs 149
    7. Controlling Local System Access 150
    8. Configuring Mandatory Access Controls 150
    9. Setting Usage Quotas 151
    10. Summary 152
    11. Back to the Basics 152
    12. Review Questions 153
11. Appendix Answers to Review Questions 155
    1. Chapter 1: Using Digital Resources Responsibly 156
    2. Chapter 2: What are Vulnerabilities and Threats? 157
    3. Chapter 3: Controlling Access to Your Assets 158
    4. Chapter 4: Controlling Network Connections 160
    5. Chapter 5: Encrypting Your Data at Rest 161
    6. Chapter 6: Encrypting Your Moving Data 162
    7. Chapter 7: Risk Assessment 163
    8. Chapter 8: Configuring System Backups and Monitoring 165
    9. Chapter 9: Resource Isolation Design Patterns 166
12. Index 167

Author Biography

David Clinton is a Linux server admin and Amazon Web Services solutions architect who has worked with IT infrastructure in both academic and enterprise environments. He has created video courses teaching AWS and Linux administration, server virtualization, and IT security for Pluralsight. He has also written or cowritten a dozen technology books, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect Study Guide: Associate (SAA-C01) Exam, Second Edition, and AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Study Guide: Foundational (CLF-C01) Exam.