43.1. Workstation Security

43.1. Workstation Security

Securing a Linux environment begins with the workstation. Whether locking down a personal machine or securing an enterprise system, sound security policy begins with the individual computer. A computer network is only as secure as its weakest node.


[15] Since system BIOSes differ between manufacturers, some may not support password protection of either type, while others may support one type but not the other.

[16] GRUB also accepts unencrypted passwords, but it is recommended that an MD5 hash be used for added security.

[17] This access is still subject to the restrictions imposed by SELinux, if it is enabled.


Note: This documentation is provided {and copyrighted} by Red Hat®, Inc. and is released via the Open Publication License. The copyright holder has added the further requirement that Distribution of substantively modified versions of this document is prohibited without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. The CentOS project redistributes these original works (in their unmodified form) as a reference for CentOS-5 because CentOS-5 is built from publicly available, open source SRPMS. The documentation is unmodified to be compliant with upstream distribution policy. Neither CentOS-5 nor the CentOS Project are in any way affiliated with or sponsored by Red Hat®, Inc.