New Ubuntu Security Guide

A new Ubuntu Security guide has been posted on the Ubuntu forums.

I am writing this guide as a concerned member of the Ubuntu Community. Security is a concern for us all and in welcoming new (and experienced) users to Ubuntu I would like to demystify the complexities of security that come with your new OS.

The guide covers many topics, from basics like passwords to advanced topics such as intrusion detection:

• Antivirus
• Firewall
• Adware
• Permissions and Encryption
• Root kits
• Intrusion detection
• Secure servers
• Hardened kernels
• Logs
• Forensics

I found it especially interesting how the firewall in Ubuntu works. The included firewall, iptables, is turned off by default. This is because a Ubuntu install does not have a single program listening to any port, making a firewall unnecessary.