Linux Security [Archive] - The Computer Mechanics Family

linuxguru

04-10-2010, 07:57 AM

Linux [and of course Ubuntu] do not need a firewall. That said, if you want, you can configure a firewall setting on Ubuntu using iptables [very much command line stuff]. Better still if you want to play with it is to install a Firewall graphical front end by installing one of these " gufw or firestarter, or shorewall, or monowall, or ipcop " Try "gufw" first.

cdnLilWolf

04-12-2010, 09:33 PM

To add to the above you must understand that Linux is not invulnerable, just by it's nature better suited for security. It's really a numbers game. Most PC users really don't bother with security which can be demonstrated by the number of unsecured wireless routers in any given neighbourhood. Windows is the predominate desktop OS by a very large margin so that's what hackers code for.

The internet is not unlike a water supply. It's generally clean, but still not totally pure. Catch a bug or a virus and then you have s&!# going into the system. The biggest pipes with the least filters are Windows systems. Unix and Linux systems (Mac OS being a derivative of the former) are/were designed and built from the ground up as secure networking systems. Can they be broken into? Of course they can. However, the aforementioned affords you a degree of protection. You may not get a "Windows" virus from downloading an infected Word file, but you can still pass it along. The only difference is that the virus (being designed for Windows) has no effect on your PC.

There are viruses for Unix, Linux and Mac, but they are far and few between. My suggestion is simply to use some common sense and practise some due diligence. Buy a router. Configured properly it is an excellent front line defence against malware, hackers and alike. Run a software firewall as well (as mentioned by Linuxguru) and learn all you can about PolicyKit which is included with your Ubuntu distribution.
<stepping off soapbox>