Introduction

Welcome to the Official Red Hat Linux Security Guide!

The Official Red Hat Linux Security Guide is designed to assist users of Red Hat Linux in learning

the process and practice of securing workstations and servers against local and remote intrusion,

exploitation, and malicious activity. The Official Red Hat Linux Security Guide details the planning

and the tools involved in creating a secured computing environment for the data center, workplace,

and home. With the proper knowledge, vigilance, and tools, systems running Red Hat Linux can be

both fully functional and secured from most common intrusion and exploit methods.

This guide discusses several security related topics in great detail, including:

Firewalls

Encryption

Securing Critical Services

Virtual Private Networks

Intrusion Detection

We would like to thank Thomas Rude for his generous contributions to this manual. He wrote the

Vulnerability Assessments and Incident Response chapters. Rock on, "farmerdude."

This manual assumes that you have an advanced knowledge of Red Hat Linux. If you are a new user

or have basic to intermediate knowledge of Red Hat Linux and would like more information about

how to use Red Hat Linux, please refer to the following guides, which discuss the fundamental aspects

of Red Hat Linux in greater detail than the Official Red Hat Linux Security Guide:

Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide for information regarding installation

Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide to learn about how to use Red Hat Linux and its many

applications

Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide for more detailed information about configuring Red

Hat Linux to suit your particular needs as a user. This guide includes some services that are dis 

cussed (from a security standpoint) in the Official Red Hat Linux Security Guide.

Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide provides detailed information suited for more experienced

users to refer to when needed, as opposed to step by step instructions.

HTML and PDF versions of all Official Red Hat Linux manuals are available online at

http://www.redhat.com/docs/.

Note

Although this manual reflects the most current information possible, you should read the Red Hat

Linux Release Notes for information that may not have been available prior to our documentation

being finalized. They can be found on the Red Hat Linux CD #1 and online at:

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux