There is a huge misconception that Linux systems are immune to malware, which has zero supporting evidence because it’s quite simply not true. On poorly managed systems a lack of regular security updates, misconfigured services, or inadvertent allowance of unapproved software being downloaded and executed can create the entry-point for malware on any system. ANY system.
Continue reading “Linux is Not Susceptible to Malware” and Other FairytalesLearning the vi/Vim Editor: The Why and the How
A discussion that mentions the vi editor usually fuels the fatuous quasi-religious war driving the debate between whether or not it’s better than Emacs. This post is not about which one is better and it does not even cover Emacs. Truth be told, I do not have a great deal of experience with Emacs, and I’m sure it has its own merits and appeal to an audience with specific needs. The only argument being made is that Emacs is not commonly found by default on most Linux systems, so depending on the circumstances, it’s a smart move to get comfortable with vi. The benefits of learning your way around vi is the focal point of this topic, including how to defeat the universal headaches associated with it through good old fashioned enlightenment.
Continue reading Learning the vi/Vim Editor: The Why and the How“To me vi is Zen. To use vi is to practice Zen. Every command is a koan. Profound to the user, unintelligible to the uninitiated. You discover truth every time you use it.”
Satish Reddy
Book Review: Linux Hardening in Hostile Networks (Kyle Rankin, 2018)
Rankin kicks off the first two chapters of this security-based Linux book with a general primer that covers basic security topics such as password best practices, HTTPS concepts, the application of encryption, browser plugins, and even a quick spin around the ‘TAILS’ and ‘Qubes’ Linux distributions. The preface of the book offers the reader a notable quote from Rankin to mechanize the overall theme:
Continue reading Book Review: Linux Hardening in Hostile Networks (Kyle Rankin, 2018)“Today every computer on the network is a target, and every network is hostile.”
Kyle Rankin
DIY Cloud Proxy Server Using Squid
Proxy servers have many applications, such as caching to increase responsiveness of network resources, content filtering for web requests, basic authentication for network segments (both remote and local), with the most popular use arguably being IP address masking. Virtual IP addresses are used in proxy servers, which forward the traffic of the requesting system to its destination using the proxy server’s IP address in place of the original. While the intention of the requesting party can either be for legitimate or nefarious reasons alike, the ability to bypass censorship controls or creating a virtual degree of separation in terms of system identity can be easily achieved with a cloud proxy server.
Continue reading DIY Cloud Proxy Server Using SquidKernel Version and Disk Space Management
Have you received a system message stating that your /boot directory space is running low or out of space during a kernel upgrade using your system’s package manager? Or maybe you want to avoid seeing this message by abiding by good housekeeping rules on your system? The following chore can help you accomplish these goals.
Continue reading Kernel Version and Disk Space Management