Books or articles on desktop security

General · 07-07-2006, 11:14 PM

Can anyone recommend any good books or articles explaining how to secure a home desktop computer?

I have searched high and low, but the articles online fell into these categories:

a) Articles basically saying, "just run this application and don't worry about the details."

b) Articles that expect prior knowledge of security.

c) Articles geared towards people running servers.

anomie · 07-07-2006, 11:49 PM

I can't refer you to a book/article on desktop security, specifically, but I can tell you:
1. Don't run unnecessary services.
2. Run iptables/netfilter.
3. Keep your software up to date as security fixes are released.
4. Don't run as root.
5. If you're paranoid, occasionally run rkhunter.

Assuming you're a true desktop user (i.e. not trying to run server software), this should be sufficient.