1.1. Pioneering Open Source Security in an Insecure World
Since its inception in 1999, Guardian Digital has been revolutionizing the way companies conduct business over the Internet. Guardian Digital recognized from its beginnings that the Internet, conceived and expanded with little regard for security, required a new and more disciplined set of Internet services and tools if businesses were to remain secure. Guardian Digital was among the first to realize that this secure Internet infrastructure could best be constructed using the resources of the rapidly expanding open source software community. The result of these insights is EnGarde Secure Linux, an efficient, easy-to-use and cost-effective Internet services platform offering an unparalleled level of built-in security.
1.2. Guardian Digital and the Open Security Model
The explosive growth of the Internet during the late 1990s was fueled by the rise of open Internet standards, open source software and the Linux operating system. To create EnGarde Secure Linux, Guardian Digital brought together the work of its engineering team and the contributions of the world community of open source security enthusiasts and professionals. Guardian Digital recognized that the open source model also provided the best approach to the problem of maintaining security in the relentlessly dynamic environment of the Internet.
By making every element of EnGarde Secure Linux freely available for inspection by security professionals and enthusiasts throughout the world, Guardian Digital ensures that any security vulnerabilities in EnGarde Secure Linux will be rapidly found and corrected. And by freely distributing EnGarde Secure Linux to the community, Guardian Digital subjects its services to the harsh realities of Internet service and receives constant feedback from thousands of users around the world in every imaginable business setting. The result is secure and enterprise- ready platform for delivering enterprise-class services.
1.3. What is EnGarde Secure Linux?
By joining a disciplined, professional approach to security with the resources and tools of the open source community, Guardian Digital has created EnGarde Secure Linux, the perfect platform for developing a highly-secure online presence. EnGarde Secure Linux is not just another “repackaged” Linux distribution, but a unique collection of the best open source tools, selected and integrated by Guardian Digital’s engineering team. EnGarde Secure Linux builds on kernel-level security policies and incorporates a wide range of proven security tools like host and network intrusion detection to deliver the most secure available open source platform for any Internet service, from Web and mail services to FTP and proxy services.
2. Design Philosophy
Guardian Digital builds EnGarde Secure Linux on the principle that security is the first priority of a modern operating system and must therefore be considered in every element of its design. This is very different from the more common practice of “hardening” a system by attempting to remove security vulnerabilities after the system is complete, for example by restricting permissions or closing ports. To achieve an unparalleled level of security, EnGarde Secure Linux tailors its system following the principle of “least privilege” in which every program and service is given only the privileges and access it needs to do its job, and no more.
Many operating systems compromise both security and function by offering a “server” system that is in fact only a stripped-down version of their basic desktop system. Guardian Digital has built EnGarde as a server system only, choosing, installing, and enabling only those services that are needed to provide efficient Internet or network services.
Despite this selective approach, however, EnGarde is not a single-purpose tool like many “appliance” hardware boxes, but is instead a complete system of service offerings, one that Guardian Digital constantly enhances through the selective addition of open source services. The security of EnGarde is further enhanced by its open source nature. Every component of EnGarde is evaluated, not just by the skilled members of the Guardian Digital engineering team, but by programmers, security experts, and users all over the world who quickly detect any security flaws and help provide fixes.
3. Feature Overview
EnGarde Secure Linux achieves its unique built-in security by drawing on the worldwide resources of the open source community, selecting “best of breed” open source security tools and then carefully configuring these tools for maximum security.
