Techradar: “Are you running Linux just because you think it’s safer than Windows? Think again. Sure, security is a built-in (and not a bolt-on) feature and extends right from the Linux kernel to the desktop, but it still leaves enough room to let someone muck about with your /home folder.
Linux might be impervious to viruses and worms written for Windows, but that’s just a small subset of the larger issue. Attackers have various tricks up their sleeves to get to those precious bits and bytes that make up everything from your mugshot to your credit card details.
Computers that connect to the internet are the ones most exposed to attackers, although computers that never get to see online action are just as vulnerable. Think of that ageing laptop or that old hard disk you just chucked away without a second thought. Bad move.
With the kind of data recovery tools available today (many as a free download) it doesn’t matter what OS was installed on the disk. If it holds data – corrupted or otherwise – it can be retrieved, bank accounts recreated, chat transcripts reconstructed, images restitched. But don’t be scared. Don’t stop using the computer.
While it’s virtually impossible to make a machine connected to the internet impenetrable to attacks, you can make an attacker’s task difficult and also ensure they have nothing to learn from a compromised system. Best of all, with Linux, and some pieces of open source software, it doesn’t take much effort to secure your Linux installation.
There is no golden rule for security that applies in every single case, and even if there were it would have been cracked already. Security is something that needs to be worked upon, and personalised. Follow the tips and tools in this tutorial as we show you how to adapt them to your very own Linux installation.
Follow these six tips to get a safer computer the easy way”
More details @ techradar.com

