new forum section? - security & admin

[deminted]

From time to time I have concerns about security in Mint; I feel it might be helpful if there were a section covering security concerns.

I'm thinking about how to track down data leaks, how to monitor what is going on in the system, how to find out if one being misled by reporting programs, how to look for rootkits, exploits, how to check if zeitgeist is on your system & kill it (& to discuss why such spyware it so hidden & difficult to remove, and defended in high places as somehow useful to the user),

Here's a peculiar thing: there's a good detailed monitioring program called atop. I want to find ot what is sending what to whom from my system. For this, atop uses an extra called netatop.
But on Mint, netatop cannot be installed because essential libraries are missing from the repos (at least, I couldn't manage to get it intalled, but I'm no expert).

Wireshark, the same: "No interface can be used for capturing in this system with the current configuration", and it seems impossible to fix. (I've had wireshark working before.)

When security-related parts of good monitoring programs are broken in a system, I'm afraid it makes me doubly suspicious about what might be going on. Not only are there plenty potential data-thieves out there, but we live in the era of PRISM when openly developed systems like linux might well be infiltrated by those with a different idea of noble motives from my own

Since security is essentially an admin topic, and there may not be so many questions about it, I would suggest amalgamating the security topic with general admin questions.
But remember - security isn't an afterthought, it needs to be built in at the roots!

Could I just take a moment to dismiss the perennially silly people who say that linux doesn't need security. As if linux exploits don't exist, as if. That's known as a false sense of security.

[MishaSherpa]

Agree
Please see this forum
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=148021

Also, wireshark works in mint, but it needs tweaking. I cannot remember which link solves it. One of these:
[url]http://cmc.site11.com/2011/08/ubuntu-10-10-wireshark-no-interfaces-available-solved/[/url]
[url]http://ask.wireshark.org/questions/7523/ubuntu-machine-no-interfaces-listed[/url]

[deminted]

Thanks! I hadn't seen your poll there (better presented too).

Great minds....