This document will attempt to explain some procedures and commonly-used
software to help your Linux system be more secure. It is important to discuss
some of the basic concepts first, and create a security foundation, before we
get started.
2.1. Why Do We Need Security?
In the ever-changing world of global data communications, inexpensive
Internet connections, and fast-paced software development, security is becoming
more and more of an issue. Security is now a basic requirement because global
computing is inherently insecure. As your data goes from point A to point B on
the Internet, for example, it may pass through several other points along the
way, giving other users the opportunity to intercept, and even alter, it. Even
other users on your system may maliciously transform your data into something
you did not intend. Unauthorized access to your system may be obtained by
intruders, also known as "crackers", who then use advanced knowledge to
impersonate you, steal information from you, or even deny you access to your own
resources. If you're wondering what the difference is between a "Hacker" and a
"Cracker", see Eric Raymond's document, "How to Become A Hacker", available at
https://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html.
2.2. How Secure Is Secure?
First, keep in mind that no computer system can ever be completely secure.
All you can do is make it increasingly difficult for someone to compromise your
system. For the average home Linux user, not much is required to keep the casual
cracker at bay. However, for high-profile Linux users (banks, telecommunications
companies, etc), much more work is required.
Another factor to take into account is that the more secure your system is,
the more intrusive your security becomes. You need to decide where in this
balancing act your system will still be usable, and yet secure for your
purposes. For instance, you could require everyone dialing into your system to
use a call-back modem to call them back at their home number. This is more
secure, but if someone is not at home, it makes it difficult for them to login.
You could also setup your Linux system with no network or connection to the
Internet, but this limits its usefulness.
If you are a medium to large-sized site, you should establish a security
policy stating how much security is required by your site and what auditing is
in place to check it. You can find a well-known security policy example at https://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2196.html. It has been recently
updated, and contains a great framework for establishing a security policy for
your company.
2.3. What Are You Trying to Protect?
Before you attempt to secure your system, you should determine what level of
threat you have to protect against, what risks you should or should not take,
and how vulnerable your system is as a result. You should analyze your system to
know what you're protecting, why you're protecting it, what value it has, and
who has responsibility for your data and other assets.
Risk is the possibility that an intruder may be successful in
attempting to access your computer. Can an intruder read or write files, or
execute programs that could cause damage? Can they delete critical data? Can
they prevent you or your company from getting important work done? Don't
forget: someone gaining access to your account, or your system, can also
impersonate you.
Additionally, having one insecure account on your system can result in your
entire network being compromised. If you allow a single user to login using a
.rhosts file, or to use an insecure service such as tftp, you risk an intruder getting 'his foot in the door'.
Once the intruder has a user account on your system, or someone else's system,
it can be used to gain access to another system, or another account.
Threat is typically from someone with motivation to gain
unauthorized access to your network or computer. You must decide whom you
trust to have access to your system, and what threat they could pose.
There are several types of intruders, and it is useful to keep their
different characteristics in mind as you are securing your systems.
The Curious - This type of intruder is basically interested in
finding out what type of system and data you have.
The Malicious - This type of intruder is out to either bring
down your systems, or deface your web page, or otherwise force you to spend
time and money recovering from the damage he has caused.
The High-Profile Intruder - This type of intruder is trying to
use your system to gain popularity and infamy. He might use your
high-profile system to advertise his abilities.
The Competition - This type of intruder is interested in what
data you have on your system. It might be someone who thinks you have
something that could benefit him, financially or otherwise.
The Borrowers - This type of intruder is interested in setting
up shop on your system and using its resources for their own purposes. He
typically will run chat or irc servers, porn archive sites, or even DNS
servers.
The Leapfrogger - This type of intruder is only interested in
your system to use it to get into other systems. If your system is
well-connected or a gateway to a number of internal hosts, you may well see
this type trying to compromise your system.
Vulnerability describes how well-protected your computer is from another
network, and the potential for someone to gain unauthorized access.
What's at stake if someone breaks into your system? Of course the concerns
of a dynamic PPP home user will be different from those of a company
connecting their machine to the Internet, or another large network.
How much time would it take to retrieve/recreate any data that was lost? An
initial time investment now can save ten times more time later if you have to
recreate data that was lost. Have you checked your backup strategy, and
verified your data lately?
2.4. Developing A Security Policy
Create a simple, generic policy for your system that your users can readily
understand and follow. It should protect the data you're safeguarding as well as
the privacy of the users. Some things to consider adding are: who has access to
the system (Can my friend use my account?), who's allowed to install software on
the system, who owns what data, disaster recovery, and appropriate use of the
system.
A generally-accepted security policy starts with the phrase
" That which is not permitted is
prohibited"
This means that unless you grant access to a service for a user, that user
shouldn't be using that service until you do grant access. Make sure the
policies work on your regular user account. Saying, "Ah, I can't figure out this
permissions problem, I'll just do it as root" can lead to security holes that
are very obvious, and even ones that haven't been exploited yet.
rfc1244 is a
document that describes how to create your own network security policy.
rfc1281 is a
document that shows an example security policy with detailed descriptions of
each step.
This document will discuss various means with which you can secure the assets
you have worked hard for: your local machine, your data, your users, your
network, even your reputation. What would happen to your reputation if an
intruder deleted some of your users' data? Or defaced your web site? Or
published your company's corporate project plan for next quarter? If you are
planning a network installation, there are many factors you must take into
account before adding a single machine to your network.
Even if you have a single dial up PPP account, or just a small site, this
does not mean intruders won't be interested in your systems. Large, high-profile
sites are not the only targets -- many intruders simply want to exploit as many
sites as possible, regardless of their size. Additionally, they may use a
security hole in your site to gain access to other sites you're connected to.
Intruders have a lot of time on their hands, and can avoid guessing how
you've obscured your system just by trying all the possibilities. There are also
a number of reasons an intruder may be interested in your systems, which we will
discuss later.
2.5.1. Host Security
Perhaps the area of security on which administrators concentrate most is
host-based security. This typically involves making sure your own system is
secure, and hoping everyone else on your network does the same. Choosing good
passwords, securing your host's local network services, keeping good accounting
records, and upgrading programs with known security exploits are among the
things the local security administrator is responsible for doing. Although this
is absolutely necessary, it can become a daunting task once your network becomes
larger than a few machines.
2.5.2. Local Network Security
Network security is as necessary as local host security. With hundreds,
thousands, or more computers on the same network, you can't rely on each one of
those systems being secure. Ensuring that only authorized users can use your
network, building firewalls, using strong encryption, and ensuring there are no
"rogue" (that is, unsecured) machines on your network are all part of the
network security administrator's duties.
This document will discuss some of the techniques used to secure your site,
and hopefully show you some of the ways to prevent an intruder from gaining
access to what you are trying to protect.
2.5.3. Security Through Obscurity
One type of security that must be discussed is "security through obscurity".
This means, for example, moving a service that has known security
vulnerabilities to a non-standard port in hopes that attackers won't notice it's
there and thus won't exploit it. Rest assured that they can determine that it's
there and will exploit it. Security through obscurity is no security at all.
Simply because you may have a small site, or a relatively low profile, does not
mean an intruder won't be interested in what you have. We'll discuss what you're
protecting in the next sections.
2.6. Organization of This Document
This document has been divided into a number of sections. They cover several
broad security issues. The first, Section
3, covers how you need to protect your physical machine from tampering. The
second, Section
4, describes how to protect your system from tampering by local users. The
third, Section
5, shows you how to setup your file systems and permissions on your files.
The next, Section
6, discusses how to use encryption to better secure your machine and
network. Section
7 discusses what kernel options you should set or be aware of for a more
secure system. Section
8, describes how to better secure your Linux system from network attacks. Section 9,
discusses how to prepare your machine(s) before bringing them on-line. Next, Section
10, discusses what to do when you detect a system compromise in progress or
detect one that has recently happened. In Section 11,
some primary security resources are enumerated. The Q and A section Section 13,
answers some frequently-asked questions, and finally a conclusion in Section 14
The two main points to realize when reading this document are:
Be aware of your system. Check system logs such as /var/log/messages and keep an eye on your system, and
Keep your system up-to-date by making sure you have installed the current
versions of software and have upgraded per security alerts. Just doing this
will help make your system markedly more secure.
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