On Sat, Mar 23, 2002 at 06:37:50AM -0600, Matthew S. Hallacy wrote: > On Fri, Mar 22, 2002 at 11:52:58AM -0600, Bob Tanner wrote: > > Install sshd, disable root logins, enable X forwarding. > > How is disabling root logins going to change anything? You picked a secure > password didn't you? You used a *unique* password, didn't you? If you feel > insecure about your passwords then disable restrict remote logins to people > with public/private key pairs. (disable password authentication) Disabling root login via ssh means that an attacker needs to obtain _two_ things (either your password/root password or your key/root password) to gain root access rather than just one. There is also the possibility that an ssh exploit may exist which allows a cracker to bypass ssh's authentication entirely - but if ssh has root logins disabled, that still only gets them access to arbitrary user accounts, not root. (Yes, I know that local root exploits exist. No, that's not an excuse for letting an attacker go directly to root without using one.) -- When we reduce our own liberties to stop terrorism, the terrorists have already won. - reverius Innocence is no protection when governments go bad. - Tom Swiss