Articles by Jonathan Terrasi

As daunting as securing your Linux system might seem, one thing to remember is that every extra step makes a difference. It's almost always better to make a modest stride than let uncertainty keep you from starting Fortunately, there are a few basic techniques that greatly benefit users at all levels, and one of them is knowing how to securely wipe...

Ever since taking an interest in Linux, with the specific aim of better understanding and enhancing my personal digital security, I have been fascinated by hacker conferences. As soon as I learned of their existence, I made a point of keeping tabs on the major conferences so I could browse through the latest videos in their archive once each one wrapped up...

With shadowy botnet armies lurking around the globe and vigilante gray-hat actors inoculating susceptible devices, the appetite for Internet of Things security is stronger than ever. "If you throw IoT on a con talk, you've got a pretty good chance to get in," remarked information security professional Jason Kent, as he began his presentation at Ch...

A technician hurriedly slings his backpack over his shoulders, straps on his M9 pistol, and bolts out of the transport with his squad of commandos in a hail of gunfire. As soon as his team reaches the compound, he whips out a laptop and starts deploying a rootkit to the target server, bullets whizzing overhead all the while This might sound like th...

Since Linus Torvalds developed the Linux kernel, there has been an explosion of distributions that can be categorized into several broad classes. The ecosystem is truly expansive There are hundreds of distributions out there, but each category has some that have become emblematic. Here's a brief look at a few. My hope is that by showcasing some of ...

Even if you're a newcomer to Linux, you've probably figured out that it is not a single, monolithic operating system, but a constellation of projects. The different "stars" in this constellation take the form of "distributions," or "distros." Each offers its own take on the Linux model. To gain an appreciation of the plethora of options offered by...

"What can it do that Windows can't?" That is the first question many people ask when considering Linux for their desktop. While the open-source philosophy that underpins Linux is a good enough draw for some, others want to know just how different its look, feel, and functionality can get. To a degree, that depends on whether you choose a desktop en...

Who's afraid of the Linux terminal? Not you, if you've gotten your feet wet and learned the basics of navigating your system. But how will these newly acquired skills help improve your computing life? To give you a sense of the terminal's everyday usefulness, here are some examples of tasks the terminal is well-disposed to handle, drawn from my own...

If you've begun to tinker with your desktop Linux terminal, you may be ready to take a deeper dive You're no longer put off by references to "terminal," "command line" or "shell," and you have a grasp of how files are organized. You can distinguish between a command, an option and an argument. You've begun navigating your system....

Once you have a sense of the vast potential of Linux, you may be eager to experience it for yourself. Considering the complexity of modern operating systems, though, it can be hard to know where to start As with many things, computers can be better understood through a breakdown of their evolution and operation. The terminal is not only where compu...

After I resolved to adopt Linux, my confidence grew slowly but surely. Security-oriented considerations were compelling enough to convince me to switch, but I soon discovered many more advantages to the Linux desktop For those still unsure about making the transition or those who have done so but may not know everything their system can do, I'll sh...

If you were to ask any of my friends, they could readily attest to my profound passion for Linux. That said, it might surprise you to know that hardly two years ago, I barely knew what Linux was, let alone had any earnest interest in switching to it from Windows Although a shift as dramatic as this may seem astonishing when considered in hindsight,...