Linux Hardening in Hostile Networks ─ Server Security from TLS to TOR

In an age of massive global surveillance, when last year's most advanced cyberwarfare weapons quickly migrate into every hacker's toolkit, you can no longer afford to rely on outdated security methods. If you care about privacy and security today, you need to step up your game -- especially if you're a sysadmin responsible for Internet-facing services. That means you need to master and use advanced security technologies like the TLS communications security protocol, PGP encryption, and the Tor anonymity network. Tools like these have often been viewed as too complex or mysterious for mainstream use. InSecurity Under Surveillance, Kyle Rankin completely demystifies them, and offers practical, accessible guidance on protecting yourself and your users with them.

Rankin begins with a user-oriented guide to safeguarding your own personal data with PGP, Off-the-Record Messaging (OTR), Tor, and the Tails "amnesic incognito" live Linux distribution. Next, he guides you through setting up secured versions of the services you manage every day, including web, email, and database servers that communicate over TLS; locked-down DNS servers with DNSSEC; Tor servers, and hidden services.

Each category of solution is presented in its own chapter, with techniques organized based on difficulty level, time commitment, and overall threat. In each case, Rankin begins with techniques any system administrator can quickly implement to protect against entry-level hackers. Next, he moves on to intermediate and advanced techniques intended to safeguard against sophisticated and knowledgeable attackers. An accompanying DVD contains a full, pre-configured copy of the Tails live Linux distribution, making it simple for any sysadmin to bootstrap a highly-secure, privacy-protecting environment in minutes.

Kyle Rankin is the vice president of engineering operations for Final, Inc.; the author of DevOps Troubleshooting, The Official Ubuntu Server Book, Knoppix Hacks, Knoppix Pocket Reference, Linux Multimedia Hacks, and Ubuntu Hacks; and a contributor to a number of other books. Rankin is an award-winning columnist for Linux Journal and has written for PC Magazine, TechTarget websites, and other publications. He speaks frequently on Open Source software, including a keynote at SCALE 11x and numerous other talks at SCALE, O’Reilly Security Conference, OSCON, CactusCon, Linux World Expo, Penguicon, and a number of Linux Users’ Groups. In his free time Kyle does much of what he does at work—plays with Linux and computers in general. He’s also interested in brewing, BBQing, playing the banjo, 3D printing, and far too many other hobbies.