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---+ Linux Workshop: General Linux Information and Security Tips March 26, 2008 ---++ Linux Information ---+++ Links for Further Reading * [[http://www.linux.com][Linux.com]] and [[http://www.linux.org][Linux.org]]. * [[http://www.linuxtoday.com][Linux Today Online Magazine]] and [[http://www.linuxpr.com][Linux Press Releases]]. * [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Linux_kernel][History of Linux]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux][main Linux article]] via Wikipedia. ---++++ Books * [[http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Code-Linux-Source-Revolution/dp/0738203335][Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution]]. * [[http://www.amazon.com/Cathedral-Bazaar-Musings-Accidental-Revolutionary/dp/0596001088/ref=pd_sim_b_title_4][The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary]]. ---++ Security Tips As researchers, sometimes we have access to very sensitive data. There are some rules of thumb we can follow to protect others and ourselves. 1 Don't keep sensitive data on laptops, especially if it's unencrypted ([[http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141567/article.html][ahem]]). 1 Avoid sending sensitive data over e-mail; use [[https://biostat3.mc.vanderbilt.edu/data-hippo][Data Hippo]] or some other means instead. 1 Use strong passwords to guard sensitive information; change your passwords every so often. 1 Encrypt sensitive data when possible to avoid accidental exposure at the very least. ---+++ Encryption Encrypting your data will greatly decrease the probability that someone will wrongfully use it. There are pros and cons to encryption, however. Encryption can slow down data access a bit, as everything must be decrypted or encrypted. Also, if you forget your password, you %RED% *will* %ENDCOLOR% lose your data. There are many ways to do encryption in Linux. One of the ways is to use a program called =encfs=. =encfs= works by transparently encrypting any files that are in an encrypted directory. There are some preparatory steps you need to take before first using =encfs=, however: 1 Install the =encfs= and =fuse-utils= packages via [[KubuntuUser#Installing_packages][Adept Manager]]. 1 Add yourself to the fuse user group by running this command from your terminal: =sudo adduser <your vunetid> fuse=. Alternatively you can add yourself to the fuse group using KDE's user management tool (_KMenu » System Settings » User Management_)<sup>[[#FootNote1][1]]</sup>. You will need to reboot at this point for this change to take affect<sup>[[#FootNote2][2]]</sup>. 1 Create a directory to house your encrypted files (i.e. _~/.encrypted_). 1 Create a directory that will serve as a _mount point_ for the encrypted directory (i.e. _~/data_). 1 Run =encfs ~/.encrypted ~/data= to create and mount the encrypted folder. After following these steps, you now have a folder that will transparently encrypt all files that you put in the *~/data* directory. Please contact a member of the IT team if you need assistance in setting up an encrypted folder. ---+++++ Footnotes 1 <a name="FootNote1"></a> You must be in the =fuse= group in order to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_(computing)][mount]] a filesystem without root privileges. Essentially this is how =encfs= works, by mounting an encrypted filesystem. 1 <a name="FootNote2"></a> Technically you only need to restart =kdm=. To do this, logout, and then hit _CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE_ when you see the login screen. ---+++ Password Management Debian/Ubuntu package =fpm= is a "secure password manager". [[http://fpm.sourceforge.net][Figaro's Password Manager]]. [[http://keepass.info][KeePass]] is a cross-platform password manager. The !MacOsX/Linux client is called [[http://keepassx.sourceforge.net][KeePassX]] and can be installed on Debian/Ubuntu by the package =keepassx=.
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Topic revision: r7 - 26 Mar 2008,
WillGray
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