Building Secure Servers with Linux

BUY THIS BOOK

Safari Books Online

Looking to Reprint this content?

Building Secure Servers with Linux

By Michael D. Bauer
October 2002
Pages: 448
ISBN 10: 0-596-00217-3 | ISBN 13: 9780596002176
(Average of 3 Customer Reviews)

This book has been updated—the edition you're requesting is OUT OF PRINT. Please visit the catalog page of the latest edition.

The latest edition is also available on Safari Books Online.

Book description

This book provides a unique balance of "big picture" principles that transcend specific software packages and version numbers, and very clear procedures on securing some of those software packages. An all-inclusive resource for Linux users who wish to harden their systems, the book covers general security as well as key services such as DNS, the Apache Web server, mail, file transfer, and secure shell.
Full Description

Linux consistently turns up high in the list of popular Internet servers, whether it's for the Web, anonymous FTP, or general services like DNS and routing mail. But security is uppermost on the mind of anyone providing such a service. Any server experiences casual probe attempts dozens of time a day, and serious break-in attempts with some frequency as well. As the cost of broadband and other high-speed Internet connectivity has gone down, and its availability has increased, more Linux users are providing or considering providing Internet services such as HTTP, Anonymous FTP, etc., to the world at large. At the same time, some important, powerful, and popular Open Source tools have emerged and rapidly matured--some of which rival expensive commercial equivalents--making Linux a particularly appropriate platform for providing secure Internet services. Building Secure Servers with Linux will help you master the principles of reliable system and network security by combining practical advice with a firm knowledge of the technical tools needed to ensure security. The book focuses on the most common use of Linux--as a hub offering services to an organization or the larger Internet--and shows readers how to harden their hosts against attacks. Author Mick Bauer, a security consultant, network architect, and lead author of the popular Paranoid Penguin column in Linux Journal, carefully outlines the security risks, defines precautions that can minimize those risks, and offers recipes for robust security. The book does not cover firewalls, but covers the more common situation where an organization protects its hub using other systems as firewalls, often proprietary firewalls. The book includes:

Precise directions for securing common services, including the Web, mail, DNS, and file transfer.
Ancillary tasks, such as hardening Linux, using SSH and certificates for tunneling, and using iptables for firewalling.
Basic installation of intrusion detection tools.

Writing for Linux users with little security expertise, the author explains security concepts and techniques in clear language, beginning with the fundamentals. Building Secure Servers with Linux provides a unique balance of "big picture" principles that transcend specific software packages and version numbers, and very clear procedures on securing some of those software packages. An all-inclusive resource for Linux users who wish to harden their systems, the book covers general security as well as key services such as DNS, the Apache Web server, mail, file transfer, and secure shell. With this book in hand, you'll have everything you need to ensure robust security of your Linux system.

Post-purchase benefits:

Browse within this book

Cover | Table of Contents | Index | Sample Chapter | Colophon

Book details

First Edition: October 2002
ISBN: 0-596-00217-3
Pages: 448
Average Customer Reviews: (Based on 3 Reviews)

Featured customer reviews

Building Secure Servers with Linux Review, April 02 2004

Rating:

Submitted by . [Respond | View]

Very useful book for all linux admins like me:-) Its for all linux users who wish to harden their systems, the book covers general security as well as key services such as DNS, mail, file transfer, secure shell, Apache Web server...

Emur

Building Secure Servers with Linux Review, January 31 2003

Rating:

Submitted by safa [Respond | View]

Building Secure Servers with Linux

Building Secure Servers with Linux Review, January 13 2003

Rating:

Submitted by Peter Matulis [Respond | View]

I enjoy opening this book at any chapter and reading it. I would not consider it to be a beginners' book and not for the very experienced either. A very good book for someone with a couple of years in the trenches. To get acquainted with principles but also to learn how to configure a utility/application.

Read all reviews

Media reviews

"There's a lot of practical advice from [author Michael] Bauer's day-to-day 'bastioning' with Linux and UNIX systems, offered in a comprehensive, enthusiastic manner...'Building Secure Servers with Linux' deserves a spot on the bookshelf...Besides, its $44.95 retail price is pretty small compared to any of the numbers to be found in an Annual Loss Expectancies Report. Bottom line: Buy"
--Rogers Cadenhead, Linux Magazine, January 2004

"It is important to realize that no one set of guidelines can ever be considered the "holy grail" of system security; however, using techniques explained in this book, the intermediate-level sysadmin can quickly enhance the overall security of a Linux system. It is a text that I will certainly keep within reach, coupled with my O'Reilly 'Linux Firewalls,' as a quick reference to system security."
--Norman Elton, Williamsburg Macromedia User Group, October 2003

"While the name of the book suggests a lot of Linux-specific material, in actual fact virtually all of the material would apply to any modern Unix-like system such as one of the BSDs...An ambitious book which quite successfully covers a large number of topics. Linux Format Rating: 9 out of 10."
--Chris Howells, "Linux Format," April 2003

"'Building Secure Servers with Linux' really does provide an excellent practical guide to best practices for secure hosts. Anyone seeking to set up any manner of internet service would be well advised to start here."--Martin Howse, Linux User & Developer, Issue 26

"From the author of Linux Journal's 'Paranoid Penguin' column comes what may be the best-ever, common sense guide to securing network attached Linux servers. While Bauer admits that the only true way to secure a server is by disconnecting it and powering it down, he writes for those who must maintain always-on, connected servers (and for whom other suggested securing techniques such as drive degaussing and pulverizing are simply out of the question)...The concepts and methods applied in this book give the Linux Administrator not only a wonderful guide to the intricacies of systems security, but also a conceptual toolbox and a deep understanding of common sense security techniques. Recommended."
--Wayne Bridges, Kickstartnews.com, August 2003
http://www.kickstartnews.com/reviews/books/building_secure_linux.html

"For those who read Linux Journal's Paranoid Penguin column, this book will seem like an old friend. Many of the topics and material covered in that column over time, are in this book. Yet, this book is not simply a collection of columns. The content is extended, Michael is able to put more depth and explanation in the chapters of a book than in a page or two in the LJ...Overall this book is excellent for the system administrator. It is full of solid concepts and examples. While not intended to cover other Unix-like operating systems, much of the book would apply to them with minor changes. In other words, a must-have book for Linux Admins, and a should have book for Unix admins."
--Bill Anderson, Linux in Boise Club, February 2003

"Excellent! Easy to read, provides quality material, must have for each system administrator."
--JavaDesk, Israel, January 2003

"Of particular interest to admins of larger and/or more complex networks is the discussion on how to assess the most vulnerable part of your network in order to prioritize the process of securing it...Look at the table of contents. Each subject mentioned therein is dealt with clearly, consistently, and comprehensively. Read the preface and back cover. Everything promised is fulfilled within the book. They also provide an excellent guide as to whether the information you are looking for is contained within. If that's the case, I recommend this book."
--Helen McManus, LinuxChix, January 2003

Hide extended reviews

Got a Question?