Book Image

Practical Linux Security Cookbook - Second Edition

By : Tajinder Kalsi
Book Image

Practical Linux Security Cookbook - Second Edition

By: Tajinder Kalsi

Overview of this book

Over the last few years, system security has gained a lot of momentum and software professionals are focusing heavily on it. Linux is often treated as a highly secure operating system. However, the reality is that Linux has its share of security ?aws, and these security ?aws allow attackers to get into your system and modify or even destroy your important data. But there’s no need to panic, since there are various mechanisms by which these ?aws can be removed, and this book will help you learn about different types of Linux security to create a more secure Linux system. With a step-by-step recipe approach, the book starts by introducing you to various threats to Linux systems. Then, this book will walk you through customizing the Linux kernel and securing local files. Next, you will move on to managing user authentication both locally and remotely and mitigating network attacks. Later, you will learn about application security and kernel vulnerabilities. You will also learn about patching Bash vulnerability, packet filtering, handling incidents, and monitoring system logs. Finally, you will learn about auditing using system services and performing vulnerability scanning on Linux. By the end of this book, you will be able to secure your Linux systems and create a robust environment.

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Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Title Page
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Copyright and Credits
Contributors
Contributors
Packt Upsell
Packt Upsell
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
Linux Security Problem
Linux Security Problem
Security policy
Configuring server security
Security policy – server security
Defining security controls
Checking the integrity of installation medium by using checksum
Using LUKS disk encryption
Make use of sudoers – configuring sudo access
Scanning hosts with Nmap
Gaining root on a vulnerable Linux system
Missing backup plans
2
Configuring a Secure and Optimized Kernel
Configuring a Secure and Optimized Kernel
Creating USB boot media
Retrieving the kernel source
Configuring and building kernel
Installing and booting from a kernel
Kernel testing and debugging
Debugging kernel boot
Kernel errors
Checking kernel parameters using Lynis
3
Local Filesystem Security
Local Filesystem Security
Viewing files and directory details using ls
Using chmod to set permissions on files and directories
Using chown to change ownership of files and directories
Using ACLs to access files
File handling using the mv command (moving and renaming)
Implementing Mandatory Access Control with SELinux
Using extended file attributes to protect sensitive files
Installing and configuring a basic LDAP server on Ubuntu
4
Local Authentication in Linux
Local Authentication in Linux
User authentication and logging
Limiting login capabilities of users
Disabling username/password logins
Monitoring user activity using acct
Login authentication using a USB device and PAM
Defining user authorization controls
Access Management using IDAM
5
Remote Authentication
Remote Authentication
Remote server/host access using SSH
Enabling and disabling root login over SSH
Key-based login into SSH for restricting remote access
Copying files remotely
Setting up a Kerberos server with Ubuntu
Using LDAP for user authentication and management
6
Network Security
Network Security
Managing TCP/IP networks
Using a packet sniffer to monitor network traffic
Using IP tables for configuring a firewall
Blocking spoofed addresses
Blocking incoming traffic
Configuring and using TCP Wrappers
Blocking country-specific traffic using mod_security
Securing network traffic using SSL
7
Security Tools
Security Tools
Linux sXID
Port Sentry
Using Squid proxy
Open SSL server
Tripwire
Shorewall
OSSEC
Snort
Rsync and Grsync – backup tool
8
Linux Security Distros
Linux Security Distros
Kali Linux
pfSense
Digital Evidence and Forensic Toolkit  (DEFT)
Network Security Toolkit (NST)
Security Onion
Tails OS
Qubes OS
9
Bash Vulnerability Patching
Bash Vulnerability Patching
Understanding the Bash vulnerability – Shellshock
Security issues – Shellshock
Linux patch management system
Applying patches in Linux
Other well-known Linux vulnerabilities
10
Security Monitoring and Logging
Security Monitoring and Logging
Viewing and managing log files using Logcheck
Monitoring the network using Nmap
Using Glances for system monitoring
Monitoring logs using MultiTail
Using system tools – whowatch
Using system tools – stat
Using System tools – lsof
Using System tools – strace
Real time IP LAN monitoring using IPTraf
Network security monitoring using Suricata
Network monitoring using OpenNMS
11
Understanding Linux Service Security
Understanding Linux Service Security
Web server – HTTPD
Remote service login – Telnet
Secure remote login – SSH
File transfer security – FTP
Securing Mail Transfer – SMTP
12
Scanning and Auditing Linux
Scanning and Auditing Linux
Installing an antivirus on Linux
Scanning with ClamAV
Finding rootkits
Using the auditd daemon
Using ausearch and aureport to read logs
Auditing system services with systemctl
13
Vulnerability Scanning and Intrusion Detection
Vulnerability Scanning and Intrusion Detection
Network security monitoring using Security Onion
Finding vulnerabilities with OpenVAS
Using Nikto for web server scanning
Hardening using Lynis
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Index
Index

Copyright and Credits

Practical Linux Security Cookbook Second Edition

Copyright © 2018 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author(s), nor Packt Publishing or its dealers and distributors, will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Commissioning Editor: Vijin BorichaAcquisition Editor: Shrilekha InaniContent Development Editor: Sharon RajTechnical Editor: Prashant Chaudhari, Mohit HassijaCopy Editor:  Safis EditingProject Coordinator: Drashti PanchalProofreader: Safis EditingIndexer: Pratik ShirodkarGraphics: Tom ScariaProduction Coordinator: Arvindkumar Gupta

First published: April 2016 Second edition: August  2018

Production reference: 1300818

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. Livery Place 35 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78913-839-9

www.packtpub.com

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