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Linux Desktop Security for New Users?

Posted by Cliff on from the protecting-the-initiates dept.

theblkadder asks: "Our company is currently undergoing a company-wide transition to Linux on the desktop. While there are numerous excellent guides and tutorials for the admin crowd, I haven't been able to turn up much for the non-technical user. I'm looking for something that would cover such topics as basic desktop do's and don'ts, like 'do choose a non-dictionary password' and 'don't blindly drop to root and install an unverified/unauthenticated RPM that you receive via email,' etc. Anyone seen a guide like this?"

2 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. root by BinLadenMyHero · · Score: 5, Insightful

    don't blindly drop to root and install an unverified/unauthenticated RPM that you receive via email

    That would be nice to say to a home user.
    But on a work environment, why give the root password to the (non-linux-experienced) users in the first place?

  2. A couple of thoughts by Prior+Restraint · · Score: 5, Informative

    Others have pointed out that root for an end-user is a bad idea, so here's a couple of other ideas off the top of my head.

    • Avoid putting . or ~/bin in your PATH if possible. If you absolutely must do so, put them at the end.
    • Don't walk away from the machine without locking it (not Linux-specific, but it bears mentioning).
    • "rm does not move a file to the trash; it's gone for real"
    • Don't hit Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.
    • "Copy and paste" can be as easy as "highlight and middle-click."

    When I try to come up with a list of Don'ts for computers, I think of my dad. He's the living embodiment of the phrase, "A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing" (No, Dad, you can't save disk space by getting rid of that .dll). Most users won't ever bring up an xterm, but people get bored at work, and then they start looking for interesting ways to entertain themselves.