Linux Security Hub
Free, plain-English guides to securing your Linux desktop. Each one is short, jargon-free, and aligned with the UK Cyber Essentials framework. Start with the basics and work through the rest at your own pace.
Getting Started
- CE: All
Linux security: where to start
Linux has a strong security reputation, and it's mostly deserved. But a lot of that protection depends on a fe...
- CE: All
A 10-minute Linux security check
Set your system up a while ago? This quick check confirms the important protections are still in place. It tak...
Account & Access
- CE: User Access Control
Use a standard account for daily work, not root
The root account can change anything on your system. That power is useful now and then, and risky all the time...
- CE: User Access Control
Use sudo safely
sudo is how you run a single command with admin rights from your normal account. It's the safe alternative to ...
- CE: User Access Control
A strong login password and automatic screen lock
Two small settings protect everything on your machine: a strong login password, and a screen that locks itself...
- CE: User Access Control
Use a password manager on Linux
You can't remember a strong, different password for every account, and you shouldn't try. A password manager d...
Malware Protection
- CE: Malware Protection
Does Linux need antivirus? An honest answer
Here's the honest answer: most home Linux desktops don't need a traditional, always-on antivirus. That's not b...
- CE: Malware Protection
Install software from trusted sources
On Linux, where your software comes from is the single biggest thing that keeps you safe. Software from your d...
- CE: Malware Protection
Scan for malware with ClamAV
ClamAV is a free malware scanner for Linux. You don't need to run it all the time. It's most useful for checki...
Network & Connectivity
- CE: Firewalls
Turn on the firewall
Most desktop Linux systems come with a firewall built in, but it isn't always switched on out of the box. A fi...
- CE: Firewalls
Public Wi-Fi safety on Linux
Public Wi-Fi in a cafe or hotel is convenient, but you don't control it and you don't know who else is on it. ...
- CE: Firewalls
Using a VPN on Linux
A VPN encrypts your internet connection and hides your browsing from whoever runs the network you're on. It's ...
Device & System
- CE: Security Update Management
Keep Linux up to date
Updates are the most important security habit on any system. Most attacks rely on a known flaw that's already ...
- CE: Security Update Management
Turn on automatic security updates
The safest update is the one you don't have to remember. Both main families of Linux can install security upda...
- CE: Secure Configuration
Encrypt your disk with LUKS
Disk encryption scrambles everything on your drive until someone enters the right password at startup. If your...
- CE: Secure Configuration
Review and turn off services you don't use
A service is a program that runs quietly in the background. Some wait for network connections, and every one o...
- CE: Secure Configuration
Back up your Linux system
A backup is the safety net behind everything else. If a drive fails, a laptop is stolen, or you delete the wro...
Threats & Incident Response
- CE: Malware Protection
Phishing and scams on Linux
Running Linux protects you from a lot of malware, but it makes no difference at all to phishing. A scam email ...
- CE: All
What to do if your Linux system is compromised
It's rare on a home Linux desktop, but if you think something's wrong, acting calmly and quickly limits the da...
- CE: Secure Configuration
If your Linux laptop is lost or stolen
Losing a laptop is stressful, but a few quick actions protect your accounts and your data. And one thing you s...
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