Issue #143 / Oct 2012

Cryptography is an important part of IT security, and OpenSSL is a well-known cryptography toolkit for Linux. Experts depend on OpenSSL because it is free, it has huge capabilities, and it’s easy to use in Bash scripts.

Your database can be one of the most vulnerable elements in your organization. We share some tips for detecting and preventing attacks.

If you want to put together a web application in your favorite language and publish it for free, you will find Heroku a convenient helper. The service even allows you to bring your own web server.

Create secure passwords with the help of a password generator and check for quality at the same time.

The global village is big enough to want to find out where your friend and enemies have set up camp. Charly offers a quick IP-based introduction to geography.

Whirring machines with rotating stacks of disks are out. The elegant tablets and smartphones of today’s digital generation house flash memory that saves space and energy. We explain the characteristics of flash chips and suggest appropriate Linux filesystems.

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine.com

How do you monitor the network when your client systems are connecting to secure web servers through HTTPS? We’ll show you how to keep watch using the Squid proxy server and share some inventive certificate tricks.

Understanding xorg.conf makes it easy to tweak your graphical display setup.

If you need to add graphical elements to Python script, EasyGUI can help beginners and experts alike.