Newbie on Security

[RLee]

I have ENIGMA,redhat 7.2
and I want to know about two programs that were recommended to me...by two separate persons,
so maybe they work together, maybe not.
One is called TRIPWIRE and the other is Port Sentry,
I believe it is called. What about these programs?
Can a new person install them? Are the both needed?
Do they work well? I have default firewall setting on
medium.

RLee,
Thanking in advance.

[Spot]

Tools for the paranoid ;D

Tripwire is a tool that checks to see what has changed on your system. You can learn more about it here: http://www.tripwire.org/qanda/faq.php

PortSentry is a program designed to detect and respond to port scans against a target host in real-time. More info here: http://www.psionic.com/products/portsentry.html

Though I haven't used them myself, I have heard good things about both programs. In combination with a good firewall setup, I'd imagine the information gathered would be quite extensive.

[RLee]

I just read your article on SECURITY so now that amazes
me much. SO I am most happy it is you with answer.
What is an alternate way to be secure, if you
do not use these two programs?
Or do you NOT use any security other than perhaps a
firewall, because it is so wide open on the internet?
I mean to ask what you can talk about, not to reveal
anything you do not wish to.

Again, thanks,
RLee

[Spot]

I don't use much more than a firewall myself. I don't have any "mission critical" data, and just about anything else I might "need" is usually backed up. The way I look at it is..it's just 1's and 0's..I can get those back.