[Part III] System Security
Author: Simson Garfinkel & Gene Spafford
Date: 1999-02-04T00:03:21Z

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| Part III |

# Part III: System Security

This part of the book is directed primarily towards the UNIX system administrator. It describes how to configure UNIX on your computer to minimize the chances of a break-in, as well as to limit the opportunities for a nonprivileged user to gain superuser access.

- Chapter 7, Backups, discusses how and why to make archival backups of your storage. It includes discussions of backup strategies for different types of organizations.

- Chapter 8, Defending Your Accounts, describes ways that a computer cracker might try to initially break into your computer system. By knowing these "doors" and closing them, you increase the security of your system.

- Chapter 9, Integrity Management, discusses how to monitor your filesystem for unauthorized changes. This includes coverage of the use of message digests and read-only disks, and the configuration and use of the Tripwire utility.

- Chapter 10, Auditing and Logging, discusses the logging mechanisms that UNIX provides to help you audit the usage and behavior of your system.

- Chapter 11, Protecting Against Programmed Threats, is about computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. This chapter contains detailed tips that you can use to protect yourself from these electronic vermin.

- Chapter 12, Physical Security. What if somebody gets frustrated by your super-secure system and decides to smash your computer with a sledgehammer? This chapter describes physical perils that face your computer and its data and discusses ways of protecting them.

- Chapter 13, Personnel Security, examines concerns about who you employ and how they fit into your overall security scheme.

6.7 Encryption and U.S. Law |  | 7. Backups