Linux Security Week - July 28th 2003

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

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|  LinuxSecurity.com                            Weekly Newsletter     |
|  July 28th, 2003                               Volume 4, Number 30n |
|                                                                     |
|  Editorial Team:  Dave Wreski             dave () linuxsecurity com    |
|                   Benjamin Thomas         ben () linuxsecurity com     |
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Thank you for reading the LinuxSecurity.com weekly security newsletter.
The purpose of this document is to provide our readers with a quick
summary of each week's most relevant Linux security headlines.

This week, perhaps the most interesting articles include "Testing
Intrusion Detection Systems," "Using iptables Chains to Simplify Kernel
ACL Management," "Best Network Port Scanners for Linux," and "CSOs
Creating Cultural Change."

LINUX ADVISORY WATCH:
This week, advisories were released for apache, kernel, nfs-utils, cups,
phpgroupware, fdclone, several, gnupg, phpgroupware, mpg123, mozilla,
semi, ethereal, and xpdf. The distributors include Conectiva, Debian,
Guardian Digital's EnGarde Linux, Gentoo, Mandrake, Red Hat, Trustix,
TurboLinux, and YellowDog Linux.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/forums_article-7704.html


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It's based on Open-Source Engineering, so it's constantly Improving.  And
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  From the First Name in Open-Source Security. Guardian Digital.

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FEATURE: Fun Things To Do With Your Honeypot

Honeypots are a hot topic in the security research community right now. It
seems everyone is starting up their own honeypot system. Most of the
papers deal with the potential gains a honeypot can give you, and the
proper way to monitor a honeypot. Not very many of them deal with the
honeypots themselves.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/feature_stories/feature_story-146.html


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REVIEW: Linux Security Cookbook

There are rarely straightforward solutions to real world issues,
especially in the field of security. The Linux Security Cookbook is an
essential tool to help solve those real world problems. By covering
situations that apply to everyone from the seasoned Systems Administrator
to the security curious home user, the Linux Security Cookbook
distinguishes itself as an indispensible reference for security oriented
individuals.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/feature_stories/feature_story-145.html



 #### Concerned about the next threat?  ####
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 other Linux vendors are not telling you.


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| Host Security News: | <<-----[ Articles This Week ]-------------
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* Oracle warns of security flaws
July 25th, 2003

Oracle warned Thursday of two serious security vulnerabilities in its
E-Business Suite product.  If left unattended, the software
vulnerabilities could enable an attacker to run malicious code on an
E-Business Suite server or view product configuration information.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/host_security_article-7708.html


* Why Biometrics Is No Magic Bullet
July 25th, 2003

In Afghanistan, the U.N. uses an iris-scanning system to identify refugees
returning from Pakistan to ensure that they don't double-dip on one-time
aid grants. In Pinellas County, Fla., police use facial-recognition
technology to record the newly arrested so they can be more easily
identified if they're nabbed again.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/host_security_article-7709.html


* Detecting SQL Injection in Oracle
July 23rd, 2003

Last year I wrote a two-part paper about SQL Injection and Oracle. That
paper explored which SQL injection techniques are possible with Oracle,
gave some simple examples on how SQL injection works and some suggestions
on how to prevent attackers and malicious employees using these methods.
This paper takes the subject further and investigates the possibilities
for the Oracle Database Administrator (DBA) to detect SQL injection in the
wild against her Oracle database.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/server_security_article-7694.html


* Building a Linux Dial-up Server, Part 2
July 22nd, 2003

In part 1 we looked at a simple setup for creating and sharing a dial-up
Internet connection. Today we'll learn how to build a dial-in server. A
dial-in server is useful for remote system administration, remote user
access, or building a low-cost WAN. A Linux dial-in server can serve as a
gateway for both Linux and Windows boxes

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/documentation_article-7691.html


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| Network Security News: |
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* Peering Over the Firewall
July 24th, 2003

When our home LAN graduated to a 24x7 Internet connection, my Linux box
became the firewall and the router. I liked the ability to customize the
firewall, and by using Snort I could keep an eye on the barbarians at the
gates. However, I could not experiment much without disrupting the entire
household's Internet access.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/firewalls_article-7701.html


* Testing Intrusion Detection Systems
July 24th, 2003

In government and industry, intrusion detection systems (IDSs) are now
standard equipment for large networks. IDSs are software or hardware
systems that automate the process of monitoring the events occurring in a
computer system or network, analyzing them for signs of security problems.
Despite the expansion of IDS technology in recent years, the accuracy,
performance, and effectiveness of these systems is largely untested, due
to the lack of a comprehensive and scientifically rigorous testing
methodology.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/intrusion_detection_article-7687.html


* Using iptables Chains to Simplify Kernel ACL Management
July 23rd, 2003

Over the last two newsletters, we've created a simple firewall that
prevents any inbound access. We'd like to make it possible to easily allow
certain hosts to connect inbound with SSH, eventually making it an
automated/dynamic process.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/documentation_article-7693.html


* Best Network Port Scanners for Linux
July 23rd, 2003

Port scanning is a prosaic area of network security . For the network
administrator, it is the equivalent of knocking on all the doors of a
house to see if anyone is around. In an age when any open holes in a
network are dangerous, however, a simple port scanner can be an invaluable
tool.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/network_security_article-7696.html


* WLAN Security Apps Tighten IT's Net Control
July 22nd, 2003

As Wi-Fi standards get sorted out and customers clamor for better
security, two vendors this week are set to introduce WLAN security
products that give IT staffs greater power and flexibility in locking down
their networks.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/network_security_article-7685.html


* A Quick View at Proxy's
July 21st, 2003

Proxy servers were originally developed to cache frequently accessed web
pages for computersbehind a common Internet connection. In the early days
of the Internet, wide area links were veryslow, the Web was relatively
small, and web pages were static.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/firewalls_article-7683.html


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| General Security News: |
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* Security experts question DOD cybersecurity
July 25th, 2003

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) relies too much on commercial
software, doesn't know who is creating the software, and faces other
significant cybersecurity problems, witnesses told a U.S. House of
Representatives subcommittee Thursday.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/government_article-7707.html


* Demonstrating ROI for Penetration Testing (Part One)
July 25th, 2003

SecurityFocus.com writes, "This is the first in a series of articles
demonstrating ROI (return on investment) for a Pen-Test (penetration
test). I am going to take you down a little bit different path initially
than you are probably used to, but I have a particular goal in mind of
teaching security professionals how to demonstrate ROI for a Pen-Test."

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/general_article-7705.html


* CSOs Creating Cultural Change
July 24th, 2003

The convergence of physical and IT security is driving the appointment of
chief security officers (CSOs) within the enterprise, a new title that is
creating cultural change, the senior cybersecurity consultant at Pinkerton
Australia Pty. Ltd., Atif Ahmad, said this week.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/general_article-7703.html

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