Understanding memory information on Linux systems

Every operating system needs memory to store program code segments and data. This is also true for Linux systems. The problem: there is a lot of information available regarding memory usage and its behavior. Let’s discover how Linux manages its memory and how we can gather memory information. After reading this guide, you will be able to: Show the total amount of memory Display all memory details Understand the details listed in /proc/meminfo Use tools like dmesg, dmidecode, free, and vmstat […]

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Linux security guide: the extended version

Feeling overwhelmed with the resources available to secure your Linux system? With this Linux security guide, we walk step-by-step through the options, tools, and resources. After reading this article, you will be able to make educated decisions about what Linux security defenses to implement for your systems. You will be introduced to the right tools that help you automate and test your improvements. Instead, related articles and resources will be available in the text. The goal is to make this guide into […]

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Using Open Source Auditing Tools as alternative to CIS Benchmarks

Using Open Source Auditing Tools An alternative to CIS Benchmarks and hardening guides Hardening guides, and the CIS benchmarks in particular, are a great resource to check your system for possible weaknesses and conduct system hardening. But who has the time to read it cover to cover, and apply every single step? In this article, we have a look at the alternative: open source auditing tools. Time.. Hardening is a time-consuming task. As security specialists, we know that. It involves […]

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Are security hardening guides still useful?

Are security hardening guides still useful? This was the big question we asked ourselves recently, when reading a few of them. With Linux and other Unix systems being decently hardened by default, would it still make sense to invest a lot of time to harden your system? Hardening guides Years ago both Windows and Linux were easy targets. A lot of system software was installed by default and these services were targeted often by malicious people and scripts. Then hardening […]

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