On Fri, Aug 15, 2008 at 3:35 PM, Steve Weiss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I've been following the fascinating "Verify Ubuntu files" discussion and can > see how complex an issue system security is. But my question is, what do you > recommend a newbie like me do for security? I've been running Ubuntu on my > laptop since an Installfest last Fall, but haven't found the time to learn > much about its innards yet. > > When I asked Chris and Alex this at the time, they both shrugged their > shoulders and said basically don't click any links you don't trust, and that > Linux doesn't get much hacker attention. Neither recommended running any > kind of security suite for Linux. > > I find this approach a little scary after many years using various Windows > security suites and discussions like yours. And "trust" is a relative > thing. What would you all recommend for new users? Are there good > virus/firewall/spyware packages for Ubuntu that are reasonably automated?
Steve, I am hardly an expert myself, but I will say this: I've rebuilt several Windows boxes that had been compromised by malware, viruses, adware, and more. I once set up an FTP server on Windows, and it was broken into within a day, in spite of the really tight protection I put on it. A Windows box with the latest installations of Norton, AdAware, etc., etc., running tight firewalls, etc., *will* be hacked. It really just is a matter of time. (Caveat: I haven't used much Windows since W2K, and I understand that WinXP and Vista are much tighter). I've been running Linux since 2000, and various flavors of Ubuntu (mostly Kubuntu, but I also have an Xubuntu laptop) since 2005. And I have never once had to rebuild a Linux box because it had been compromised in any way (I've had to rebuild several Linux boxes that I broke myself, but that's a different story). I'd say that as long as you keep up with the updates when you computer tells you about them, you'll be fine. -- Richard S. Crawford ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) http://www.mossroot.com Publisher and Editor in Chief, Daikaijuzine (http://www.daikaijuzine.com) _______________________________________________ vox-tech mailing list vox-tech@lists.lugod.org http://lists.lugod.org/mailman/listinfo/vox-tech