Linux Security Cookbook review

As with other operating systems, a Linux system that has been left unsecured is a hacker's playground. Security is

the responsibility of everyone who goes online, and nowadays this means far more than just running a firewall with default settings.

This book claims a target audience of system administrators and intermediate users, but it also contains much that the Linux-savvy home user can benefit from. For those of us with a working knowledge of Linux and who need to improve security in a targeted way but don't have the time to learn it from first principles, this book is an ideal starting point.

The book is presented in the form of a set of problems and solutions, split into logical sections covering system snapshots, firewalls, encryption, security testing and authentication techniques. If this month's column on SSH has whetted your appetite, Linux Security Cookbook will provide you with some useful tips. The solution to each problem is generally simple and, in many cases, given in step-by-step instructions. The discussion section that follows each solution is more detailed, giving extra background information and other things of which to be aware.

The 197 problems this book solves represent a good cross-section of the tasks required to shore up a Linux server's security properly. Some books tend to sit on the shelf gathering dust until needed while others see regular use. When owned by a security-conscious individual, this book should fall into the latter category.

At the end of the book comes some welcome advice on what to do if you suspect or discover that your system has already been hacked, and how to file an official incident report with the proper authorities. If you follow the advice within, you should not have to put these last tips into practice.

Author: Jon Thompson