John’s suggested URLs are located at: http://www.peakserv.com/blug/security.html
This is the first installment of a series of presentations on the subject of running a secure Linux system. This meeting we will go over the use of nmap, a network port scanner, and ssh, a more secure replacement for telnet and ftp. Future sessions are planned for tripwire and other tools.
nmap, a tool often used by crackers, allows a system administrator to create a “security profile” of services that are running on a system. These services are potential entry points for intruders and need special care in configuration and prompt updateing when security bugs are found. Old versions of software with known holes are a MAJOR source of system breakins.
Telnet and ftp were two of the first tools developed on the early DARPANET, and are still widely used by sys admins today. But they have a major security hole, that send passwords over the net in CLEAR TEXT! ssh provides a replacement for these programs that uses RSH keys for authentication and encryption for privacy. We will go over how to setup and use ssh on linux.