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Debian Hardened Aims For Security
larryg writes "Debian Hardened is a new project that wants be an official Debian sub-project. It aims to provide a complete tree of hardened kernel and software packages for a standard Debian distribution, without changing to another like Adamantix and making easy the hardening of any machine running Debian GNU/Linux. The hardened kernels use the grSecurity patch and some of the Adamantix kernel patches; also, its packages are compiled with the ProPolice/SSP gcc extension and some libraries to prevent and trace buffer overflow attacks. Also, and as a second project, we are working on some enhacements against the Linux Entropy Pool engine, using an external TRNG (True Random Numbers Generator) device which uses thermal noise and also the atomic decay from a Geiger counter, making true unpredictable random numbers."
Doesn't provide as many choices or the technological /security understanding of Hardened Gentoo
(not to mention the very similar name)
http://hardened.gentoo.org
How is this going to be different than just installing Woody and applying the lids kernel patch to your particular kernel and locking the system down that way?
Debian's team can implement it a certain way and whatever amazing thing they cook-up can be re-used by the Gentoo team!
The goal is not a religious war, the goal is for you and I to get ahead.
I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
Has anyone ever,ever,ever compromised a computer or encrypted document by predicting the output of a random number generator?
Would the time not be better spent looking for the next OpenSSH/SSL hole?
I'm not trolling, most security flaws come from everyday apps rather than esoteric problems.
I'm a Hardened Gentoo user; although, I only use a subset of all the hardened herd's efforts :) I actually do understand what I'm doing, though, and am trying to spread that understanding myself. I am in no way affiliated with [Hardened] Gentoo or Debian.
At any rate, these people don't understand that they'll need more drastic changes. Why not bring attention to http://d-sbd.alioth.debian.org/ while you're at it? This is my project, just a demonstrational effort to bring these things to the attention of the Debian maintainers.
The idea isn't to have a hardened "Enhancement," but rather to incorporate anything you can put in that won't hurt. For example, you can compile glibc, gnome, and bash with SSP/ProPolice, and nothing else will use ProPolice but those. Those programs also won't be hurt by ProPolice. We can extend this to, "Compile any program or library that won't break with it with SSP." The user will never notice; but it'll stop a range of attacks.
My point is that you need to aim low. A hardened system like Hardened Gentoo or Adamantix will supply you with *everything* -- PaX, SSP, ET_DYN binaries, rediculously complicated MAC systems, firewalling maybe, network sniffers, etc. A non-hardened distribution should look at each of these, determine which don't change the end user's experience (administrator included), and implement them. This is "Do what's easy" rather than "Do EVERYTHING we possibly can," but it's still better than just being lame in the area of security.
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how is Hardened Debian going to be different from installing the harden* packages?
If you look at the SElinux download page you can read the following tidbit:
In other words, SElinux comes with the kernel.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"