[aclug-L] FW: Where to Go for Timely Alerts

["Dale W Hodge" <dwh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Linux_Security@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2002 12:59 AM


LINUX SECURITY --- March 05, 2002
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HIGHLIGHTS

* A little knowledge can go a long way, especially when that knowledge 
  is about the latest threats to your system. But where does the savvy 
  admin go for such information?

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Where to Go for Timely Alerts
By Brian Hatch

The worst thing that can happen to a security administrator is to be 
oblivious to the newest, and thus most pressing, vulnerabilities that 
can affect your systems. Without prompt action -- upgrades, patches, 
increased access restrictions, or turning off software all together -- 
you are likely to fall victim to the latest exploits or worms.

So, whom should you turn to for this nay-crucial information? You can 
find good Linux security information at a bunch of places, but I trust 
very few sources to provide me timely vulnerability announcements. 
Most have both Web pages and email lists. Personally, I don't rely on 
Web pages because I've never been good at checking things periodically 
(and too many of them don't render well in lynx). I prefer email. 
It's something I check every few seconds and I can use procmail 
to make sure important messages get sent to my pager in case 
I'm doing something rare, like sleeping.

So, without further rambling, here are my suggestions for must-read 
email lists: 

    * CERT:  The granddaddy of alert notification. CERT advisories are 
      usually reserved for the big problems, such as the widespread 
      SNMP problems, which required careful coordination between multiple 
      vendors to avoid 'spilling the beans' too early, or the 
      latest 'Become the Windows Administrator user in 2 easy packets' 
      bug.

    $ echo 'subscribe cert-advisory' | mail majordomo@xxxxxxxx

    * SANS Security Alert Consensus:  The SANS organization sends out 
      alerts similar to CERT, though usually with more useful 
      information such as custom tools you can use to audit your 
      systems. This newsletter is actually a weekly security summary, 
      but they use it for important alerts as well.

    $ lynx http://www.sans.org/sansnews/

    * Incidents:  On this list, admins can submit information about 
      suspicious network activity they've captured. When new worms and 
      exploits start making the rounds, this is often the first place 
      they are seen on the radar. It can get pretty high volume as 
      folks try to figure out what they're seeing in the wild.

    $ echo 'SUBS incidents Firstname Lastname' | mail 
listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    * Bugtraq:  Bugtraq was the original full disclosure list, and it 
      is an absolute essential to any administrator. Vendors and 
      hackers alike announce vulnerabilities here. Often no solutions 
      are suggested, but folks on the list quickly discuss appropriate 
      responses to the problem.

    $ echo 'SUBS bugtraq Firstname Lastname' | mail 
listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    * Linux Distro:  Whichever Linux distribution you use likely has an 
      email list dedicated to security concerns. Sometimes the problems 
      are specific to a particular distribution's configuration whereas 
      sometimes they are universal Linux concerns.

      Your distribution-specific list will give you the links you need 
      to see exactly what packages you need to upgrade, including the 
      download URLs and instructions. Unless you're using Debian, of 
      course, in which case you can upgrade everything with a mere 32 
      keystrokes.


These are the lists that I use for security alerts. You can subscribe 
to many other lists for weekly or monthly news, but for timely security 
information, I suggest the above lists so you aren't caught off guard.

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About the author(s)
-------------------
Brian Hatch is Chief Hacker at Onsight, inc and author of Hacking Linux 
Exposed and Building Linux VPNs. He has been securing and breaking into 
computers since before he traded in his Apple ][+ for his first Unix 
system. Brian can be reached at brian@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
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