Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 33 views

    Changes .) : Ssignment

    Uploaded by

    empty yeman
    The document outlines steps to harden a Linux system's security during boot by: 1) Booting into single-user mode, adding a new user, and configuring sudo access. 2) Booting from a live CD/USB, modifying system files to add a new user, and demonstrating that no password is required to access sensitive files. 3) Performing a new install with full disk encryption to prevent unauthorized access to the encrypted system without supplying the correct password used during installation.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Changes .) : Ssignment

    Uploaded by

    empty yeman
    33 views3 pages
    The document outlines steps to harden a Linux system's security during boot by: 1) Booting into single-user mode, adding a new user, and configuring sudo access. 2) Booting from a live CD/USB, modifying system files to add a new user, and demonstrating that no password is required to access sensitive files. 3) Performing a new install with full disk encryption to prevent unauthorized access to the encrypted system without supplying the correct password used during installation.

    Original Title

    Assignment1.docx

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document outlines steps to harden a Linux system's security during boot by: 1) Booting into single-user mode, adding a new user, and configuring sudo access. 2) Booting from a live CD/USB, modifying system files to add a new user, and demonstrating that no password is required to access sensitive files. 3) Performing a new install with full disk encryption to prevent unauthorized access to the encrypted system without supplying the correct password used during installation.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    33 views3 pages

    Changes .) : Ssignment

    Uploaded by

    empty yeman
    The document outlines steps to harden a Linux system's security during boot by: 1) Booting into single-user mode, adding a new user, and configuring sudo access. 2) Booting from a live CD/USB, modifying system files to add a new user, and demonstrating that no password is required to access sensitive files. 3) Performing a new install with full disk encryption to prevent unauthorized access to the encrypted system without supplying the correct password used during installation.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    ASSIGNMENT #1

    Objectives:
     To learn how to harden a Linux operating system during the boot process.

    Part I. Booting with single-user mode:


    1. Boot into your Linux machine in single-user mode.

    Question 1. Document/List, here, all steps to successfully boot in this mode. (Be specific of
    changes.)
    Question 2. What is the user name you are logging in onto the machine? What is the command
    to check for the user name? Provide an appropriate screenshot.
    Question 3. What is usually the single-user-mode boot used for?

    2. On the command line prompt, add a new user, naivehacker1.

    Question 4. What is the command? Provide an appropriate screenshot of the command and its
    effect.

    3. Edit the /etc/sudoers file. Make sure there is the following exact line. If not, just add it.
    %sudo ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
    4. Add naivehacker1 to the sudo group.

    Question 5. What is the command? Provide an appropriate screenshot of the command and its
    effect.
    Question 6. What is the purpose of adding a normal user to sudo group, or to sudoers file?

    5. Exit single-user mode, and let the systems boot normally. Then, log in onto the machine with
    the newly added user naivehacker1.
    6. Try to list the contents of the most sensitive and confidential file on the system, shadow, with
    the command cat /etc/shadow.

    Question 7. Provide a screenshot of the output.

    7. Now, try the previous step with the command sudo cat /etc/shadow.

    Question 8. Provide a screenshot of the output.

    8. Configure the boot loader (GRUB) to use a password.

    Question 9. Document/List, here, all steps to configure a boot loader password.


    Question 10. What is the benefit of adding a boot loader password?
    Part II. Booting using a live CD:
    1. Completely power off your Linux machine.
    2. Download the Ubuntu 16 desktop image (.iso file) appropriate to your environment, i.e., 32-
    or 64-bit, from http://de.releases.ubuntu.com/16.04. (This needs to be
    performed on your alternative operating system, i.e., the host operating system.)
    3. If your Linux machine is deployed as a virtualized environment (e.g., with VirtualBox or
    VMware), attach the iso image file as a virtual optical drive (and tick the “Live CD/DVD”
    option). In the System configuration tab, make sure the Optical drive has a higher boot order
    than the Hard Disk. Then, go to step 5.
    4. If your Linux machine runs as a dual boot operating system right on the physical hardware, you
    need to burn the iso image on a physical CD/DVD, or put it on a USB flash drive. You then
    need to enter the BIOS configuration, and make sure the CD (or, USB) has a higher boot
    sequence order than the Hard Disk.
    5. Start the machine and let it boot off and run from the CD. Do not choose to install Ubuntu.
    6. Once you logged in, click on the left menu bar on the disk icon to mount it (it is the volume
    with size of several gigabytes). To make sure the volume was correctly mounted, issue the
    command ls /media. There must be a second directory other than cdrom.

    Question 11. How many Linux file systems are now there, i.e., how many different etc,
    home, boot, root etc. directories are there? Provide an appropriate screenshot to defend
    your answer.

    7. Change to the second directory inside /media, i.e., not cdrom. Then, following the directory
    structure, change into the etc directory inside.
    8. Edit the passwd file. The last line must be the one starting with naivehacker1. Add the
    following line at the end of file:
    naivehacker2:x:1010:1010:,,,:/home/naivehacker2:/bin/bash
    9. Edit the shadow file. The last line must be the one starting with naivehacker1. Add the
    following line at the end of file:
    naivehacker2:U6aMy0wojraho:17587:0:99999:7:::

    Question 12. What is the difference between the passwd and shadow files?

    10. Edit the group file, and add naivehacker2 to the sudo group just after the existent
    naivehacker1. (They must be separated by a comma.)
    11. Following the directory structure starting from /media, change into the home directory
    inside.
    12. Inside, create a new directory named naivehacker2.

    Question 13. What is the command? Provide an appropriate screenshot of the command and
    its effect.

    13. Change the permissions of this newly created directory to give full access to it to everyone.

    Question 14. What is the command? Provide an appropriate screenshot of the command and
    its effect.

    14. Power off the machine, remove the iso image from the virtual drive, and then start the machine.
    15. Log in onto the machine with the newly added user naivehacker2 supplying no
    password!!! (I.e., select the user and just hit enter.)
    16. Try to list the contents of the most sensitive and confidential shadow file on the system with
    the command sudo cat /etc/shadow. (No password is required!!!)

    Question 15. Provide a screenshot of the output.


    Question 16. If the Linux operating system is running on the hardware directly (i.e., no
    virtualization), what should you do to prevent an attacker getting hold of your computer from
    booting into your operating system via a Live CD?

    Part III. Installing Linux with full disk encryption:


    1. Perform a new Linux operating system install. When prompted during the guided process,
    you must choose to encrypt the disk. (To speed up things, you may choose to make a bare-
    minimum install.)

    Question 17. Can you boot into this new system in single-boot mode and add an arbitrary user
    (as in Part I above) without supplying the correct password you used to encrypt the disk during
    the installation process?
    Question 18. Can you boot into this new system using a Live CD and add an arbitrary user (as
    in Part II above) without supplying the correct password you used to encrypt the disk during
    the installation process?
    Question 19. By using disk encryption, is an operating system and its data protected against all
    threats? Defend your answer.

    You might also like