The Role of Bastille Linux in Information Security

Over the last 15 years, Linux has evolved from one man's hobby into a very robust and capable operating system (OS). Today, Linux is being used around the world in a wide variety of applications in businesses, academia, and industry. In addition to being a powerful general purpose Unix clone, Linux provides a cost efficient means to implement a wide range of computer security related functions including security auditing, computer forensics, intrusion detection, firewalling, routing, and vulnerability scanning. The concept of 'Defense in Depth' relies upon each of these essential functions to provide a layered security solution. Since the operating system is the underlying framework on which all of these applications operate it is imperative that it be as secure as possible. In this paper the author will briefly examine the evolution of Linux discuss its popularity and examine in detail Bastille Linux which is used to increase the security of RedHat and Mandrake Linux distributions.