Linux Advisory Watch – July 2, 2004

This week,
advisories were released for apache, dhcp, kernel, mailman, gzip,
Pavuk, Esearch and libpng. The distributors include Debian, Fedora,
FreeBSD, Gentoo, Mandrake, Suse and Trustix.

Easy Administration

Each
time management mandates a new project, it must immediately be followed
up with hours of research to determine the best course of action.
Important projects can often be pushed aside or delayed because those
tasked with implementation find themselves in a position of not fully
understanding the technology. A fundamental lack of understanding leads
to configuration errors and security vulnerabilities.  When
EnGarde Secure Linux is used, management can have assurance that
systems are setup in the most efficient and secure manner. Staff can
then concentrate on core competencies that accelerate business, rather
than specialized skills  such as server configuration.

The
free community version of EnGarde Secure Linux is available at
http://www.engardelinux.org.   After downloading the ISO, it
must be burned to a CD then installed on a dedicated machine. The
installation process is remarkably simple and can be accomplished in
about 15 minutes. For corporate users, I recommend using EnGarde Secure
Professional. Users receive source and binary CD-Roms, an annual
subscription to the Guardian Digital Secure Network, installation and
configuration support, 60 days of phone/email support, a printed
configuration manual, and a quick start reference guide.

After
EnGarde is installed, simple administration tasks such as setting up
users, system access controls, and a backup schedule should be set.
EnGarde servers are managed remotely using a browser through a SSL
connection. Access to the Web interface can be restricted to specific
IP addresses if necessary. In addition to Web, DNS, and Mail
configuration, the Guardian Digital WebTool provides screens to assist
with FTP, SSH, User management, IP access controls, Tripwire, Auditing
reports, and many other typical server features.

For a
detailed example on configuring a server, please see

the
following URL:

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/feature_stories/feature_story-161.html

Until
next time, cheers!
Benjamin D. Thomas
—–

LinuxSecurity
Feature Extras:

Open
Source Leaving Microsoft Sitting on the Fence? – The open source
model, with special regard to Linux, has no doubt become a formidable
competitor to the once sole giant of the software industry,
Microsoft. It is expected when the market share of an industry leader
becomes threatened, retaliation with new product or service offerings
and marketing campaigns refuting the claims of the new found
competition are inevitable. However, in the case of
Microsoft, it seems they have not taken a solid or plausible position
on the use of open source applications as an alternative to Windows.

Interview with Brian
Wotring, Lead Developer for the Osiris Project – Brian Wotring is
currently the lead developer for the Osiris project and president of
Host Integrity, Inc. He is also the founder of knowngoods.org, an
online database of known good file signatures. Brian is the co-author
of Mac OS X Security and a long-standing member of the Shmoo Group, an
organization of security and cryptography professionals.

Guardian
Digital Launches Next Generation Secure Mail Suite –
Guardian Digital, the premier open source security company, announced
the availability of the next generation Secure Mail Suite, the
industry’s most secure open source corporate email system. This latest
edition has been optimized to support the changing needs of enterprise
and small business customers while continually providing protection
from the latest in email security threats.

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