What This Book Doesn't Cover

This book covers general Linux system security, perimeter (Internet-accessible) network security, and server-application security. Specific procedures, as well as tips for specific techniques and software tools, are discussed throughout, and differences between the Red Hat 7, SuSE 7, and Debian 2.2 GNU/Linux distributions are addressed in detail.

This book does not cover the following explicitly or in detail:

• Linux distributions besides Red Hat, SuSE, and Debian, although with application security (which amounts to the better part of the book), this shouldn't be a problem for users of Slackware, Turbolinux, etc.

• Other open source operating systems such as OpenBSD (again, much of what is covered should be relevant, especially application security)

• Applications that are inappropriate for or otherwise unlikely to be found on publicly accessible systems (e.g., SAMBA)

• Desktop (non-networked) applications

• Dedicated firewall systems (this book contains a subset of what is required to build a good firewall system)