Linux Hardening in Hostile Networks: Server Security from TLS to Tor

by Kyle Rankin

Implement Industrial-Strength Security on Any Linux Server In an age of mass surveillance, when advanced cyberwarfare weapons rapidly migrate into every hacker’s toolkit, you can’t rely on outdated security methods–especially if you’re responsible for Internet-facing services. In Linux® Hardening in Hostile Networks, Kyle Rankin helps you to implement modern safeguards that provide maximum impact with minimum effort and to strip away old techniques that are no longer worth your time. Rankin provides clear, concise guidance on modern workstation, server, and network hardening, and explains how to harden specific services, such as web servers, email, DNS, and databases. Along the way, he demystifies technologies once viewed as too complex or mysterious but now essential to mainstream Linux security. He also includes a full chapter on effective incident response that both DevOps and SecOps can use to write their own incident response plan. Each chapter begins with techniques any sysadmin can use quickly to protect against entry-level hackers and presents intermediate and advanced techniques to safeguard against sophisticated and knowledgeable attackers, perhaps even state actors. Throughout, you learn what each technique does, how it works, what it does and doesn’t protect against, and whether it would be useful in your environment. Register your product at for convenient access to downloads, updates, and corrections as they become available.

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[mjb2kmn · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR: Broad and shallow, worth reading.

Much of it pretty basic and there are spots that really could have been left out or at least shortened, such as walking through the Tails installer. However, it does get better as it goes and it does a good job of covering a broad range of Linux security topics.
Seasoned pros aren't going to take anything from this, and it shouldn't be you first exposure to Linux administration, but I'd recommend reading it to beginner and intermediate admins or "Power Users".