Hacking Exposed Linux, 2nd Edition - Softcover

Hatch, Brian; Lee, James; Kurtz, George

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0072225645 ISBN 13: 9780072225648

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education, 2002

Synopsis

Completely updated and revised to cover the latest Linux security vulnerabilities and tools, this book provides details about brand-new Linux attacks, counter measures and case studies.

About this title

Review

Linux, like every other networkable OS, is vulnerable to a variety of local and remote attacks. Hacking Linux Exposed seeks to do two jobs: explain where the vulnerabilities lie and provide ways to minimise or eliminate the risks.

The authors' slightly breathless hands-on approach--coupled with the wealth of relevant technical detail--produces an unusually pacey read. Much of the spiciness comes from the emphasis on exploiting Linux's weaknesses. This is helped with lots of case studies of successful intrusions. You won't be in any doubt that you should be taking security seriously.

Much of the advice is common sense: use secure passwords, shadow password files, turn off unwanted services, set up an efficient firewall, apply security patches and so on. But the devil is in the detail. Successfully hardening a Linux system is non-trivial (as with other OS's). It's also an ongoing process. What really sets Hacking Linux Exposed apart is the way it walks you through each vulnerability and then explains the technical aspects of implementing a defense against it--converting to shadow password files, setting up IPChains, automating log file checking, testing your own security and more are all detailed.

Linux sysadmins will love this book. However, any Linux user with the confidence to edit a configuration file and a copy of Hacking Linux Exposed to hand can also have the hardest machine on the block. --Steve Patient

Review

"A comprehensive overview of Linux security in the popular Hacking-Exposed style. -- (Rain Forest Puppy (RFP), web server security authority and discoverer of the IIS MSADC vulnerability)

"Hacking Linux Exposed covers tried and true techniques to cutting-edge hacks and everything in between. If you are serious about Linux and security, buy this book. Period." -- Simple Nomad, author of The Hack FAQ and Pandora

"Hacking Linux Exposed is a highly organized and modular book that teaches the reader what to do before, during, and after an incident. It consolidates years of security administration experience into a single reference guide. It illustrates a procedure for securing a new installation, shows the reader how to recover from a break-in on an existing machine and presents a methodology for ongoing monitoring. Each chapter contains well-illustrated examples from real installations along with real solutions. Hacking Linux Exposed has taken a complex subject and broken it down into a format as useful for front-line Linux users as for corporate IT managers." -- Allen Leibowitz, CEO Anzen Computing, Inc. & Developer of the Anzen Flight Jacket Intrusion Detection System

"Knowing how attackers work and how a system can be broken into is the key to preventing unwanted break-ins. Hacking Linux Exposed strips away the 'black magic' image of hacking and sheds light on the prevention techniques that protect Linux systems from the ravages of attackers. This security book is a valuable asset for Linux administrators. You may find it frequently borrowed by fellow members of your staff and difficult to keep on your bookshelf." -- Christopher Klaus, Founder & Chief Technology Officer, Internet Security Systems -ISS

"The rapidly expanding number of Linux machines on our campus combined with the open network of a university makes us an ideal target for hackers. The full disclosure policy of Hacking Linux Exposed allows security professionals and others who are interested in maintaining the security of their systems to observe how hackers penetrate a system and how to raise the bar to counter the attacks. If the sysadmins on our campus take advantage of this book, they will save themselves and our security team hours of work recovering from break-ins." -- Bob Bartlett, Assistant Director, Network Security & Enterprise, Network Server Administration of the University of Chicago, Illinois

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0072225645
• ISBN 13: 9780072225648
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 744