Security For Fresh Install

[Guest]

Hi Ladies and Gents , I have only just done a fresh install of Kubuntu and i must say this is a very nice distro . I have done a encrypted home and boot setup and have installed all the latest updates . i have installed back in time to take snap shots every 1-2 hours and backup to a external drive now is there anything else i need to install for security reasons or anything that is so obvious that needs to be addressed .?? any help be great .

[Shabakthanai]

You can apply several applications which provide extra security. I have never installed extra security for a period over 20 years now. I have never had a security problem. I do all my banking and purchases online excepting food. If you are new to Kubuntu, you will find, like all of us who preceded you that security is not a problem. You can install filters, if for some reason ads start to get onto your location, but there again, I have never had to; I have only heard about it. As far as virus', I have never had to respond to a virus either. Just remember to update your computer when they are available and those problems are taken care of for you. The virus software that is available on linux machines is free too, but I have never installed it; I have never even heard of a virus attack on Linux. The only place I concern myself is when opening my network to the outside world, then I would probably add available safety features. There are lots of members with experience in this area, and they will be happy to help you. If you are coming from windows, it will be natural for you to experience some paranoia about what I am telling you, but after a little experience, you will see that I am relating the average experience of all kubuntu users.

Trust the available application that serve your needs. They are free, but they are also equivalent or better than the windows applications you have been spending so much money. Updates and upgrades are your protection. Another thing about upgrades is, when you upgraded in Windows, you had to purchase the upgrades. Since they are free in Linux, you just have to upgrade when upgrades are available, and all your programs will be at the cutting edge of their manufacture. After you experience the available features of Kubuntu, you will wonder why it took you so long to make the change. It will take a while to learn the differences, but once learned Linux is easier to operate and lightyears more sophisticated than Windows. In my opinion, when you chose Kubuntu for your Linux experience, you probably chose the best availabe for general use. Most problems are solved for you by the developers, and this forum is a friendly and competent source for help.

If you know how to open a command line, after updating and upgrading enter the following commands, and any problems in the download will be automatically fixed for you: sudo apt-get update - sudo apt-get upgrade - and - sudo dpkg --configure -a. By the way, if your system is relatively current, there are a lot of features, like widgets, that are wonderful and useful. If you want to learn how to beautify your desktop and increase the features that make kubuntu special, drop me an email in your personal directory of this forum. I will give you some one on one help that doesn't require waiting for someone to read your need then respond in the forum proper. Take some time when you have an hour or two, and we can either chat or use the phone to get you some immediate answers for your needs and desires. I am old and retired and have time available for such and the willingness to help pretty much anyone.

[Guest]

Mate all i can say is a big thank you and u would have to be one of the nicest forum members i have had the honour of talking with .

[SteveRiley]

I'll concur. Unlike Windows, the default configuration of services in Linux is such that a host-based firewall is unnecessary. A Linux desktop computer directly connected to the Internet presents very little practical attack surface. Now if you go about installing things like web servers, email servers, and other applications that listen for arbitrary incoming traffic...well, let's just say it'll be messy!

The principal attack vectors that might still be problematic come from cross-platform software present nearly everywhere: namely, Flash and Java, but also some others. If you've installed these make sure you keep your system up to date. In fact, the majority of Windows machines are now attacked via third party software; the operating system itself has gotten pretty good. (Disclaimer: I'm a former Microsoft employee; worked in the Windows security group for 11 years.)

[Feathers McGraw]

Now if you go about installing things like web servers, email servers, and other applications that listen for arbitrary incoming traffic...well, let's just say it'll be messy!

How true that is! No doubt Steve had some of our recent conversations in mind when he wrote that...

I started messing with a Raspberry Pi (which runs Raspbian, which is basically Debian Stable optimised for the Pi, which is the base that Ubuntu is built from... so very similar to Kubuntu) and using it to host a website and email server. I've had all kinds of fun (note these are not problems you will have using a Kubuntu desktop unless you install certain programs like Apache):

• Denial of service attacks
• Spam bots creating accounts and using them to send outgoing email on an early version of my mail server
• all sorts of automated SQL injection attacks
• secure shell login port constantly hammered by bots attempting to guess a username/password combination (one attempt every few seconds for months on end!)
• Accidentally turning the Pi into an open proxy server

... and I've probably missed some more!

Some of those (DoS attacks, SSH password guessing attempts, SQL injection bots etc.) are just part of the unfortunate dark side to the internet. Others are due to my stupidity... what I learned is this:

• Generally speaking, most Linux apps are "secure by default"
• ...and as a result, if you're going to change the configuration parameters, you had better be sure you know what it does, or you might open up a nice juicy hole in your computer (I created the open proxy by changing things "to see what would happen").
• Pay attention! Don't just set something up and expect to be able to walk away and leave it. I discovered that something was wrong on many of these occasions by reading the various log files.

Then again, don't be afraid to experiment. I have probably learned more from my stupid mistakes than I have from my successes!

And of course, this forum is a great place to ask for advice. The people here have such a wide variety of experience and knowledge that you almost always end up with a very complete and balanced collective answer!

Feathers