Thinking Outside the (Linux) Box: Security Considerations from Human Actors

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Esa Jääskelä will present “Thinking Outside the (Linux) Box: Security Considerations from Human Actors” at the Embedded Linux Conference (Open Source Summit Europe 2025). The talk focuses on human-induced security risks in device lifecycle management, beyond traditional technical vulnerabilities.

URL: Open Source Summit Europe 2025

You Should Know:

1. Human-Centric Linux Security Risks

  • Misconfigurations: Admins often leave default credentials or weak permissions.
    Check for world-writable files (common misconfiguration) 
find / -type f -perm -o+w -exec ls -l {} \;
  • Weak sudo policies: Overprivileged users escalate risks.
    Audit sudoers 
sudo grep -r "NOPASSWD" /etc/sudoers.d/

2. Embedded Device Hardening

  • Disable unnecessary services:
    systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled | grep -E 'telnet|ftp|rsh' 
systemctl disable <service>
  • Kernel hardening:
    Check kernel protections 
cat /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space  Should return '2' (ASLR enabled)

3. Monitoring Human Activity

  • Audit logs for suspicious logins:
    last -i | grep -E "(192.168|10.)"  Detect local IP logins
  • Track file modifications by users:
    auditctl -w /etc/passwd -p wa -k passwd_changes 
ausearch -k passwd_changes | aureport -f -i

4. Phishing-Resistant Practices

  • Block suspicious IPs:
    iptables -A INPUT -s <malicious_IP> -j DROP
  • Verify downloads:
    sha256sum <file> | grep <expected_hash>

What Undercode Say:

Human factors are the weakest link in cybersecurity. While Linux offers robust tools (auditd, selinux, iptables), misconfigurations and overprivileged users persist. Automate audits, enforce least privilege, and log everything.

Expected Output:

 Sample audit log output 
type=USER_AUTH msg=audit(1622544023.123:456): pid=1234 uid=0 auid=1000 ses=1 msg='op=login acct="root" exe="/bin/su" hostname=192.168.1.1 addr=192.168.1.1 terminal=pts/0 res=success'

Prediction:

As IoT expands, human-centric attacks (social engineering, insider threats) will surpass technical exploits. Future Linux defenses will integrate behavioral analytics (e.g., `falco` for runtime monitoring).

Expected Output:

 Falco alert example 
{"output":"16:31:45.123 Warning Shell spawned by non-shell user","priority":"Warning","rule":"Run shell in container"}

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Esajaaskela Open – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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