Security applications like antivirus protectors respond to events, rather than preventing them from happening, but the best security in Linux is architectural – that is, in its configuration.

Security-conscious people dig a deep moat with crocodiles around their homes, hide their furniture in back rooms, and only let visitors into the bathroom if they know the secret password. Grsecurity follows a similarly extreme principle.

Forget passwords – several Internet companies have formed the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, which they say will replace passwords with safer and easier to use authentication methods.

What do all programs have in common? They store data at some point, usually in arrays – everything from commandline options to the input and output. But how is data actually stored by the program? Kurt explains.

• OpenShift for data centers and clouds
• MariaDB non-profit foundation launched
• Fedora 18 to include Mate desktop
• Oracle repository for kernel changes
• NVidia GeForce R310
• Android OS leads the smartphone market
• Microsoft contemplating yearly major release cycle
• HP writes off US$ 8.8 million on Autonomy
• Stallman alleges “surveillance code” in Unity

Creating backups is one thing, making sure they’re secure is another. We offer some tips for ensuring the process is as painless as possible.

If you have enabled IPv6 on your network without considering basic security issues, you might have opened up a hole for attackers. In this article, we demonstrate a successful attack on a server via IPv6 and explain how the popular security tools handle IPv6.

These days, security and privacy issues are increasingly making the news, but where can the average free software user learn more about safer practices? One of the best answers I have found is Tails, a Debian-based distribution that seems as much about teaching users to make informed decisions as about the software itself.