The Internet has become a hazardous place, in the last few years. As the traffic increases and more important transactions are taking place your risk grows as bad guys try to damage, intercept, steal or alter your data.

If there is something worth stealing then someone will try and steal it. Linux-based systems have no special exclusion from this universal rule. A primary reason that Linux systems are so popular is because they are robust and have many sophisticated security measures.

As the manager of a Linux system for your department or small business, you might feel a bit daunted by all of these threats. You've heard Linux is supposed to be secure, but how do you make sure?

It is a truism, of course, that if you don't use the Linux security tools provided, then you should be ready for the inevitable break-in. Problems can also be caused by badly implemented security measures. Securing a Linux machine can get pretty complicated and entire shelves of books have been dedicated to the subject.

You may not have the time or the motivation to delve into all of those tomes, so we're going to make this a bit simpler.

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