Building Linux and Openbsd Firewalls - Softcover

Sonnenreich, Wes; Yates, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471353663 ISBN 13: 9780471353669

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2000

Synopsis

A step-by-step guide to bulding a commercial-grade firewall with open source software

Building Linux and OpenBSD Firewalls

It's now more important than ever before to protect your data and computers from people trying to hack into your network. Without the proper security, the wrong person can gain access to your system and read critical documents, change data, delete items, and much worse. With this book, you'll quickly learn how to protect your network from such attacks as you build a Linux or OpenBSD firewall. From determining how much security you'll need to configuring the firewall and monitoring your system, authors Tom Yates and Wes Sonnenreich clearly guide you through all the necessary steps to improve your security.

They show you how to:
* Build Linux and OpenBSD firewalls that meet your security needs
* Choose the appropriate hardware for each operating system and put the machine together
* Configure a firewall that allows network services such as email, newsgroups, and Internet and intranet access
* Monitor and update your system to close any holes in security
* Detect intruders and restore your network security

The companion Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/sonnenreich features:
* Updates for the most recent releases of OpenBSD and Red Hat
* Useful scripts and tools
* Sample firewall configurations
* Additional online resources

About this title

Review

Building Linux and OpenBSD Firewalls tackles considerably more than its title implies. For one thing, it's an introductory Internet security text that explains some of the methods attackers employ and how security strategies (including firewalls) can help thwart them.

Some of this coverage is very basic indeed ("What's an IP address?" and "What's a good Password" are two elementary sidebars), but that's in keeping with this series, which is intended for managers and others somewhat removed from detail work as well as for technicians. Still, the differences between OpenBSD and Linux boil down to a couple of key features, and you'll find yourself halfway through this book before you get to any how-to material on configuring a firewall. The configuration information is easy to follow: the authors explain which options to choose in the operating systems' respective installation routines and outline some supplementary procedures to follow afterward.

This book deserves kudos for treating OpenBSD with the same respect most books lavish over the trendier Linux, and the odds are good you'll learn a lot about it. You'll find the general security material valuable as well, particularly if you're new to the security game and need a primer on firewalls, demilitarized zones (DMZs), and the vulnerabilities of particular protocols and services. Still, this isn't the best practical guide around. Look at Linux Firewalls for detailed information on configuring IP chains under Linux, Maximum Linux Security for an all-purpose take on that system's security characteristics, and Firewalls and Internet Security: Repelling the Wily Hacker for further comprehensive security coverage. --David Wall

Topics covered: Internet security background, fundamentals of firewall design and security policy, the relative merits of OpenBSD and Linux, and the configuration of bare-metal machines as firewalls under both operating systems. The authors use Red Hat Linux 6 and OpenBSD 2.5.

About the Author

WES SONNENREICH is CTO of //pharmatrak, an Internet marketing data service for the pharmaceutical industry. Wes is also President of the Sonnenreich Corporation, Inc., an Internet solutions consulting company. Clients include Infoseek and the Boston Medical Center. He is the author of several books, including Web Developer.com Guide to Search Engines (Wiley) with Tim Macinta.
TOM YATES, ten years a Unix hacker, believes passionately in comprehensible computing through open source-based technology. He is CTO of Gatekeeper Technology Ltd, specialists in open source network and security solutions in Cambridge, UK.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0471353663
• ISBN 13: 9780471353669
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384