Glossary
Plain-language definitions of SEO terms used across the blog.
- AIDE (file integrity)
- A host-based intrusion detection tool that monitors files for unauthorized changes by comparing them against a trusted baseline database.
- AppArmor
- A Linux kernel security module that confines programs to a per-application profile listing the files and capabilities they may use.
- auditd (Linux Audit Daemon)
- The userspace daemon that collects and logs Linux kernel audit events, providing a tamper-evident trail of security-relevant activity.
- CIS Benchmark
- A consensus-based set of configuration recommendations from the Center for Internet Security for securely hardening systems and software.
- fail2ban
- An intrusion-prevention tool that scans service logs for repeated failures and temporarily bans the offending IP addresses via the firewall.
- Principle of Least Privilege
- Security principle granting each user, process, or service only the minimal permissions required to perform its task, and nothing more.
- LUKS (disk encryption)
- The standard Linux format for full-disk encryption, securing data at rest on a block device behind a passphrase or key.
- nftables
- The modern Linux kernel framework for packet filtering and firewalling, replacing iptables with a unified rule syntax and tooling.
- PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules)
- A modular framework that lets Linux services delegate authentication, account, and session policy to stackable, configurable modules.
- SELinux
- A Linux kernel security module enforcing mandatory access control through labels and policy, confining processes beyond standard permissions.
- SUID & SGID bits
- Special permission bits that let an executable run with the privileges of its owner or group rather than the calling user.
- sysctl
- An interface for reading and tuning Linux kernel parameters at runtime, widely used to apply network and memory hardening settings.