Linux Security Auditing
Monitoring, Auditing, and Verifying the Security of Linux Systems
What's Included:
Key Highlights
- Linux-specific security auditing methodology
- Baseline and configuration verification
- auditd and kernel-level auditing
- SELinux and AppArmor audit techniques
- Firewall and network exposure auditing
- Automation-ready audit workflows
- Compliance-oriented audit reporting
Overview
A practical Linux security auditing guide covering system baselines, auditd, permissions, SELinux, AppArmor, firewall audits, automation, and compliance verification.
The Problem
Linux systems often lack consistent auditing processes, making it difficult to detect misconfigurations, verify security controls, and demonstrate compliance. Without structured audits, security issues remain hidden until incidents occur.
The Solution
This book provides a step-by-step Linux security auditing framework that helps you monitor, audit, and verify system security using Linux-native tools and repeatable methodologies.
About This Book
Comprehensive Linux Security Auditing for Modern Environments
Linux Security Auditing is a practical, Linux-focused guide for monitoring, auditing, and verifying the security of Linux systems across servers, cloud platforms, and enterprise environments.
This book provides a structured methodology for identifying security weaknesses, validating system configurations, and maintaining continuous audit readiness in Linux-based infrastructures.
Why Linux Security Auditing Is Critical
Linux systems are highly configurable and powerful—but that flexibility also introduces risk. Without systematic auditing, misconfigurations, excessive privileges, and insecure services can remain undetected. This book teaches you how to establish repeatable, reliable audit processes tailored specifically for Linux.
What You Will Learn
- How to define Linux audit scope and threat models
- Establishing secure baselines for Linux systems
- Auditing system configuration and user accounts
- Privilege escalation and access review techniques
- File permission, ownership, and integrity audits
- Linux logging architecture and kernel auditing with auditd
- SELinux and AppArmor auditing strategies
- Firewall and network policy audits
- Automating security audits at scale
- Compliance mapping and audit reporting
The book includes ready-to-use audit checklists, auditd rule examples, scripts, and compliance mappings that can be applied directly in production Linux environments.
Bas van den Berg
Who Is This Book For?
- Linux system administrators
- Security engineers and analysts
- DevOps and SRE professionals
- Compliance and audit officers
- Consultants working with Linux infrastructure
Who Is This Book NOT For?
- Absolute beginners with no Linux experience
- Readers looking for offensive hacking techniques
- High-level security theory without practical execution
Table of Contents
- What Is Linux Security Auditing
- Linux Audit Scope and Threat Models
- Establishing a Secure Baseline
- Auditing System Configuration
- User and Account Auditing
- Privilege and Access Review
- File Permission and Ownership Audits
- File Integrity Monitoring
- Linux Logging Architecture
- auditd and Kernel Auditing
- Network Exposure Auditing
- Service and Application Audits
- SELinux and AppArmor Auditing
- Firewall and Network Policy Audits
- Automating Security Audits
- Compliance and Audit Reporting
- Detecting Security Incidents via Audits
- Post-Incident Auditing
Requirements
- Basic Linux command-line experience
- Understanding of Linux system administration fundamentals
- Access to a Linux system or virtual machine
