Linux security resources

Books & periodicals

• Practical UNIX Security, Simson Garfinkel and Gene Spafford, O'Reilly & Associates, 1996.
  
  
• Essential System Administration, 2nd Ed., Aeleen Frisch, O'Reilly & Associates, 1995. (In particular, chapter 6)
  
  
• The Linux Journal often carries articles on Linux security

Mailing lists

There are a number of very useful security-related mailing lists. The most useful for Linux security-related alerts and discussions are:

1. linux-alert - moderated announcements about Linux security
   
   To subscribe: send mail to linux-alert-request@redhat.com with the subject subscribe.
   
   
2. linux-security - devoted to discussing Linux-specific security issues
   
   To subscribe: send mail to linux-security-request@redhat.com with the subject subscribe.
   
   
3. Bugtraq - the principal Unix security mailing list
   
   To subscribe: send mail to listserv@netspace.org with the message subscribe bugtraq.

Usenet

There are a number of security-related newsgroups. The more important ones are:

• comp.security.announce
• comp.security.misc
• comp.security.pgp.announce
• comp.security.ssh
• comp.security.unix

It is also worth watching comp.os.linux.announce for important announcements, usually related to kernel security patches.

WWW & FTP sites

This is a selection of some useful web and FTP sites. For a very comprehensive list of security sites, visit the COAST security hotlist.

• AusCERT
  
  
• BugTraq mailing list archive
  
  
• COAST
  
  
• Debian security information
  
  
• The Linux Security homepage
  
  
• Matt's Unix Security page
  
  
• Replay - the FTP site for crypto tools, in source form and as Debian/Redhat packages