Red Hat Linux 7 Unleashed

Red Hat Linux 7 Unleashed

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Summary

Security is only as good as the users' willingness to follow policy. On many systems and in many companies, this is where the contention comes in. The users just want to get their jobs done. The administrators want to keep undesirables out of the system. The corporate management wants to keep the corporate secrets secret. Security is, in many ways, the hardest area in which to get users to cooperate. It is, in fact, the most important. "Users who write down or share passwords," "poorly written software," and "maliciousness" are usually cited as the biggest security problems.

For the administrator in charge of the system, I can only offer this advice: The best user will only follow the policies you follow. If you have poor security habits, they will be passed along. On the other hand, people generally rise to the minimum level they see exhibited or expected. The job of the administrator is to go beyond the call of duty and gently point out improvements, while at the same time fighting the dragons at the back gate trying to get into the system.

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