UNIX and Linux Security

Abstract

There are many objectives and goals to be considered when securing a UNIX operating system. When configuring UNIX operating system security, consider these critical principals of security, known as the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) triad. In addition to incorporating security controls that relate to the CIA triad, three additional security features directly affect CIA and aid the overall site security program: access control, auditing, and backups. Although general UNIX considerations are covered in this chapter, it also addresses several Linux-specific items. This chapter is for all Linux variants; file names, directory paths, variable names, etc., also may have to be taken into consideration. There are numerous versions of Linux, and it would be beyond the scope of this chapter to try to discuss all of them in detail. All requirements listed within this chapter will pertain to all versions of Linux unless explicitly noted otherwise.