Viruses, 0190 Dialers, and SuSE Linux

The security of your computer or network is a frequently-discussed issue. 0190 dialers constitute a great problem for home users, and viruses can damage your system in various ways. The damage caused by 0190 dialers is often promoted by the fact that the user has access to the entire system at all times. Therefore, vital system zones are exposed to attacks or the installation of undesired programs. At present, software programmers continue to equip their products with new functions that enable automatic product updates. This, however, increases the potential risk.

In Linux, the strict distinction between the system administrator (root) and the users represents the first step toward system security. System-critical files belong to the user root, and normal users do not have access to these files. Therefore, anybody who logs in to your system as a user can merely manipulate the files to which this user has access. A difficult root password consisting of lowercase/uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters provides basic protection. Normally, passwords in Linux consist of eight characters. However, during the installation you can decide to use a password algorithm that enables the use of longer passwords.

If you do your daily work (surfing, fetching mail, etc.) as root, your system is exposed to potential attacks. Furthermore, you might damage your system inadvertently. Therefore, you should always work with a user identity.

You do not need to log in as root even for tasks such as: Installing additional packages/programs or System modifications Programs that require root privileges (such as the YaST2 Control Center) will prompt you to enter the root password. You can access the most important files with special YaST2 modules, e.g. the sysconfig editor or the /etc/hosts editor.
Additionally, you can protect your system against unauthorized access from the Internet by means of a firewall. SuSE Firewall2 offers various options for protecting your system - from the complete blocking of the system to the release of specific ports for special services (e.g. ftp). The firewall can be configured easily by means of the graphical YaST2.
Security-related packages are available in the YaST2 software selection under /Package Selection/Productivity/Security Furthermore, the YaST Online Update is a service that continuously provides your system with the latest security updates. Not to forget: You should refrain from installing programs whose origin is uncertain. Virus scanners are available for Linux, but these are usually deployed on systems that operate as mail servers.

Last modified  05/17/2003