Ubuntu Hacks

If you have used a number of different Linux distributions in the past, one surprising thing you'll notice the first time you use Ubuntu is that it disables the root account. For most other distributions, the installer prompts you fo...

There is an old saying that the only safe computer is one that's disconnected from the network, turned off, and locked in an underground bunkerand even then you can't be sure! Keeping your computer up-to-date with the latest security patches is essen...

Linux has an excellent kernel-based network packet-management system called iptables that can be configured either directly from the command line or through a variety of GUI administration interfaces. One of the most powerful firewal...

There are a number of techniques for creating encrypted filesystems, typically based on using some kind of loopback device with an encryption layer spliced in the middle. Popular systems include cryptloop and loop-aes, but a more rec...

Encryption is a vital tool with which all Ubuntu users should familiarize themselves. One of the best ways to encrypt emails and files is with GPG, the GNU Privacy Guard. Like its inspiration PGP, GPG utilizes public-key cryptography...

It's still possible to use the Web with some degree of privacy and even anonymity, but you have to jump through a few hoops to do so. Even so, these hoops aren't that arduous, and, better yet, you'll get to learn about a cool program named Tor that m...

It's well known among Linux users that ours is an operating system that doesn't have to worry about viruses, unlike that other OS made in Washington state that appears to be completely overrun by them. Even so, there are still very good open source a...