Book Description
From creating networks and servers to automating the entire working environment, Linux has been extremely popular with system administrators for the last couple of decades. However, security has always been a major concern. With limited resources available in the Linux security domain, this book will be an invaluable guide in helping you get your Linux systems properly secured.
Complete with in-depth explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and self-assessment questions, this book begins by helping you set up a practice lab environment and takes you through the core functionalities of securing Linux. You'll practice various Linux hardening techniques and advance to setting up a locked-down Linux server. As you progress, you will also learn how to create user accounts with appropriate privilege levels, protect sensitive data by setting permissions and encryption, and configure a firewall. The book will help you set up mandatory access control, system auditing, security profiles, and kernel hardening, and finally cover best practices and troubleshooting techniques to secure your Linux environment efficiently.
By the end of this Linux security book, you will be able to confidently set up a Linux server that will be much harder for malicious actors to compromise.
What You Will Learn
- Create locked-down user accounts with strong passwords
- Configure firewalls with iptables, UFW, nftables, and firewalld
- Protect your data with different encryption technologies
- Harden the secure shell service to prevent security break-ins
- Use mandatory access control to protect against system exploits
- Harden kernel parameters and set up a kernel-level auditing system
- Apply OpenSCAP security profiles and set up intrusion detection
- Configure securely the GRUB 2 bootloader and BIOS/UEFI
Table of Contents
1: Section 1: Setting up a Secure Linux System
2: Running Linux in a Virtual Environment
3: Securing User Accounts
4: Securing Your Server with a Firewall - Part 1
5: Securing Your Server with a Firewall - Part 2
6: Encryption Technologies
7: SSH Hardening
8: Section 2: Mastering File and Directory Access Control (DAC)
9: Mastering Discretionary Access Control
10: Access Control Lists and Shared Directory Management
11: Section 3: Advanced System Hardening Techniques
12: Implementing Mandatory Access Control with SELinux and AppArmor
13: Kernel Hardening and Process Isolation
14: Scanning, Auditing, and Hardening
15: Logging and Log Security
16: Vulnerability Scanning and Intrusion Detection
17: Security Tips and Tricks for the Busy Bee
18: Assessments
