Hacking Linux Exposed, Second Edition - Softcover

Hatch, Brian; Lee, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0072225645 ISBN 13: 9780072225648

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media, 2002

Synopsis

Tighten holes and maintain security on your Linux system! From the publisher of the international best-seller, Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions, comes this must-have security handbook for anyone running Linux. This up-to-date edition shows you how to think like a Linux hacker in order to beat the Linux hacker. You'll get detailed information on Linux-specific hacks, both internal and external, and how to stop them.

About this title

Review

"Throw up a Linux box," comes the chorus whenever there's a need to provide some network service or other without impinging upon the boss's martini budget. Fair enough, but by doing so are you opening security holes you don't know how to find or fix? The newest edition of Hacking Linux Exposed helps you answer that question and solve many of the security problems you find. To a certain extent this book is a recipe collection in that it describes weaknesses in Linux (calling attention to specific distributions where appropriate). The authors stop short of explicitly showing you how to wage most kinds of attacks, a reasonable thing to do from an ethical point of view even though the instructions can be found easily on the Internet. Rather than do that, they give step-by-step instructions on how to defend against the attacks they catalog. The point is not, "Here's precisely how to bring down a server by means of an ACK storm," but rather, "Here's how to defend against such problems." They do demonstrate plenty of weaknesses, though, as in their coverage of the conversation that goes back and forth between an FTP server and its client.

This book covers pretty much everything you'd want to do with a Linux machine as a network server. Read it and see some of the weaknesses in your system--and do something about them before someone else does. --David Wall

Topics covered: Security best practices, approached from the perspective of what can go wrong and what can be done about the problems. Specific coverage goes to all major services, including user management, FTP, HTTP, and firewalling.

From the Back Cover

"Years of collective hands-on expertise for those who want to actually understand the Linux threats and countermeasures. Excellent!" --Dave Wreski, CEO, Guardian Digital and co-author of Linux Security HOTWO

Secure your Linux network by thinking like an attacker

Evolving Web technology and new software releases make online security more challenging than ever. The number of hackers--both sophisticated crackers and script-kiddies--is growing constantly, and it's just a matter of time before your network becomes a target. Hacking Linux Exposed, Second Edition shows you, step-by-step, how to proactively defend against the latest Linux-specific attacks by getting inside the mind of today's most devious hackers. You'll learn how intruders gather information, specify targets, exploit weak spots, and gain control--usually while remaining undetected. Read case studies about both common and little-known break-ins, tips on how and why they occurred, and detailed countermeasures against these attacks. If you're a Linux professional who's serious about security, this is the one book you can't afford to be without.

What you'll learn:

• The proven Hacking Exposed methodology to locate and fix vulnerable points in networks and Linux software
• Details on security features of all Linux distributions--including Red Hat, Debian, SuSE, and Slackware
• How to successfully use vulnerability scanning tools, intrusion detections systems, honeypots, and log analysis software
• Best practices for using whois databases, ping sweeps, DNS zone transfers, and port scans
• Common mail server bugs, tips for email encryption, and spam prevention
• Latest attack methods involving Trojaned programs, back doors, kernel hacks, password cracks, and session hijacking
• Ways to protect against Denial of Service and wireless network attacks
• Methods for preventing local users from getting root privileges
• Rules for using TCP wrappers and firewall strategies with ipchains and iptables
• Valuable checklists and tips on hardening your system based on the authors' real-world experience

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0072225645
• ISBN 13: 9780072225648
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 712