8 Best Practices for Securing Linux Systems as Recommended by Experts

Securing and patching Linux devices, like MacOS and Windows systems, is vital to ensuring critical and sensitive data is safe from outside attacks.  

While many developers value Linux's diverse distribution and configuration choices, the operating system (OS) poses a significant challenge to IT administrators. Those attempting to centrally monitor and secure Linux endpoints with other operating systems encounter issues such as maintaining root access/permissions, a lack of centralized MDM, and keeping up with the latest security patches across all distributions.

Given the variety of attack vectors, we advocate a straightforward, best practices approach to protecting corporate systems and data. This blog presents eight Linux System best practices that should be followed for improved security.

8 Ways to Safeguard Linux Systems from Cybersecurity Threats

Though by no means exhaustive, the following tips lay a strong foundation for implementing a Zero Trust Security framework in a Linux environment:  

1. Stay Current on Patches and Updates

Always update the software running on your devices as soon as possible to protect against vulnerabilities and/or security enhancements. This means ensuring your Linux distributions as well as other installed software are running the latest versions.

2. Practice the Principle of Least Privilege

NIST defines least privilege as follows:

The principle that a security architecture should be designed so that each entity is granted the minimum system resources and authorizations that the entity needs to perform its function.

In other words, only provide access to needed resources at any given time.  

3. Utilize Data Encryption

Encrypt Linux systems data by ensuring only authorized users (with an encryption key) have access. Full-disk encryption only releases decrypted data contents after users provide proof of identity via a passphrase or key.  

4. Maintain Up-to-Date Images

Linux systems are often built or copied from “golden” images. While this hack is great scaling without building from the ground up, many admins forget to update the golden images regularly.  

Ensure you’re building secure systems by maintaining your images with the latest patches and security updates.  

5. Secure and Monitor Network Activity

Monitor and secure your network devices and traffic to mitigate vulnerabilities, threats, and potential for breeches. Regularly monitor your networks for abnormal activity that might indicate a new threat.  

6. Minimize Software Footprint

Only install the software necessary for any given system. Unneeded and/or unused software increases the security risk and potential threat vectors. Further, by removing unneeded software, you also get the benefits of reduced storage space, memory allocation, any associated licensing costs while optimizing your system performance

7. Enforce Strong Passwords, MFA and/or SSH keys

Protect and prevent unauthorized access to organizational systems by enforcing strong passwords, SSH keys, and multi-factor authentication.  

The settings in this policy only apply if the SSH daemon is installed on the system. To ensure access is restricted to only authorized users, configure your server to: place sensible resource limits, disable features with high potential for abuse, and disable algorithms and ciphers known to be weak.

8. Stay Vigilant with Ongoing Training

IT Security is always changing to adapt and protect against new threats. We are all in this together to foster a safe IT environment as the backbone of our technologies.  

As the saying goes, “It takes a village!” IT professionals must stay abreast of emerging security threats and openly share their knowledge with the community.  

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