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<TITLE>RE: [buug] Linux Security Site</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>It sounds to me as though you are talking about OpenBSD. Most of what you have described is inherent in the install.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: Rick Moen [<A HREF="mailto:rick@linuxmafia.com">mailto:rick@linuxmafia.com</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Monday, February 14, 2000 5:02 PM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: ezekielk@iname.com</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Cc: BUUG mailing list</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: Re: [buug] Linux Security Site</FONT>
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<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Quoting ezekielk@iname.com (ezekielk@iname.com):</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>[Linux distributions tend to default to an insecure state]</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>> That is too bad, considering how many computer users would *like to</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> dump Windoze, and switch to Linux w/minimal hassle. But once I master</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Linux, I can get some of these folks running their own Linux box with</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> solid security.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Unfortunately, they have to do this in the name of market acceptance.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Why? Because security is inconvenient.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Imagine a Linux distribution that installs by default in a fairly</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>locked-down fashion: All network daemons are turned off initially.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>All lines in /etc/inetd.conf are initially commented out. There are</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>no CGI scripts in the system cgi-bin directory. /etc/hosts.deny has</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>everything disabled, and /etc/hosts.allow initially allows localhost</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>only. Most services that require suid-root binaries aren't even</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>installed. Even root-owned libraries aren't installed unless crucially</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>needed.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>The system forces all users to change passwords monthly, and doesn't</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>allow selection of passwords that fail quality tests. A cron job mails </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>a daily report on security-sensitive system activity, and the system</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>doesn't allow directing that mail to a "root" account whose may not get</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>read.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>There's no NIS or NFS. (They're security weak points.) The network</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>daemons installed -- even though initially disabled -- are chosen for</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>their minimal, conservative nature, rather than for full functionality:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>E.g., you have exim or postfix instead of sendmail, pftpd instead of </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>wuftpd or proftpd, and boa instead of Apache.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>The system installation forces the user to compile a new kernel from</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>recent kernel revisions, and (somehow) forces the user to compile a </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>monolithic kernel instead of a modular one.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>The installer also forces installation and configuration of AIDE</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>(Tripwire's successor), OpenSSH, GNUPG, and COPS. COPS is run monthly</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>by cron job. "telnetd" is present only as a symlink to sshd.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>This distribution would default to a fairly secure state, but (1) would</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>be a pain in the ass for non-paranoid sysadmins to deal with, and (2) </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>would appear to trail the competition in any checklist comparison of </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>features.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>So, the distributions don't do this because they can't afford to.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>That's why they ship with over-featured network daemons like wuftpd and</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>proftpd instead of more-modest, more-secure alternatives, and why they</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>make it easy to shoot system security in the foot -- because to do</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>otherwise would be to deprive people of what they think they want.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>-- </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Cheers, Linux: It is now safe to turn on your computer.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Rick Moen</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>rick (at) linuxmafia.com</FONT>
</P>
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