What is my security risk running Linux, really?
I have what may seem a very vague question. But I'm just not sure I know the answer, and I want to.
What security risks am I running, really, given the following:
My assumption is I am living safely. If only because in the real world, the Linux OS doesn't attract the attention of the guys who write malware and spyware and trojans and viruses and the like. So I guess this is my three-part question:
Yeah yeah, these are big questions I know. But as a bit of a non-techie outsider, I would really appreciate hearing your ideas! Thanks. |
LOL-you seem almost paranoid. Linux is extremely secure, I would not worry about it. Any cracker would hate to go into your computer-if that is what you are worried about.
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Other things that you can do include: - keep your patches up to date. You should check for updates at least once a week for the software that you have installed. - keep your user account home directories (in the /home directory) on their own partition and mount the /home partition with the noexec parameter - create two container files with a file system in each. Mount one through a loop device onto the /tmp directory with the noexec parameter. Mount the other one on the /var/tmp directory with the noexec parameter. Your fstab would look something like this: Code:
/var/sys.common/tmp.loop /tmp ext3 loop,auto,noexec 0 0 Quote:
Visit the Security Focus web site. They have a section for Linux and another one for Unix. www.securityfocus.com You'll see that most of the reported exploits either apply to web server software or database server software or require the attacker to log in to the machine before he can do any harm. If you don't run a web server or database server and if you have strong passwords then you are in good shape. :) |
I agree with Kalabanta. Paranoid is not a bad thing, but Linux is a step ahead of the competition when it comes to security.
I know you say you don't regularly update, and that's fine, but it would be a good idea to keep up to date as far as security-related patches and the like. Firefox is pretty secure too, but for example, there recently was a security-patch for some versions of Firefox. You have a firewall, a good browser, you don't browse the net as ROOT user, avoid dodgy sites, validate/checksum anything you plan to install, sounds like you are doing fine! |
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This is the freedom everybody should enjoy. People afraid to use the internet - this is the damage Microsoft has done. |
Interesting
Thanks guys for all those tips. Especially stress_junkie. I learned some new stuff there, particularly about SELinux and rootkits. Will be keeping your post for future reference.
Emerson, you're absolutely right. I still have the scars from bad Microsoft experiences! I moved to Linux in order to feel in control of my computer. And I won't be going back, ever. |
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