Product: 1119277655

Linux Server Security, Hack and Defend is a slim volume with the goal of helping the Linux system admin get a kick-start in making their servers harder to exploit. Chris Binnie breaks his slender volume into short chapters on a number of specific areas of exposure or what I would think of as attack surfaces. He presents attack methodologies and some approaches to detection, defense and avoidance using open source tools.

This is NOT a comprehensive volume. Much of this information can he found online with a bit of Google. That isn’t the point to me. This is a concise presentation intended to address a problem and approach that will help the sys admin move beyond the resources of the book. For me getting started on an admin project is often the most difficult part of getting it done. These fairly easy starts to a number of topics for securing Linux servers provide just that.

At just 126 pages it might be easy to dismiss Linux Server Security Hack and Defend as not serious compared to a 500 pages book on the same topic. But they do not have the same goals. This book’s concise presentation is not as intimidating as those big volumes can be. He intends the reader go beyond the information presented in this book and build on it using the resources on the web.

In conclusion Binnie set out his goal in the introduction and the book follows that vision. This slim volume won’t make someone a Linux Server security expert or build up a sys admin from ground zero. It will help a sys admin get started on important work understanding some popular threats and securing Linux servers better while becoming better able to build upon the kick-start provided in the concise chapter.

It’s not for everyone, but states it’s sys admin audience clearly. I think it’s a nice light no-nonsense resource for time-pressed Linux sys admins and gets a solid 5 stars from me.
Rating: 5
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