[PLUG] It's always the little details ....

[Michael Leone <turgon@mike-leone.com>]

So, I decided to check my web & ftp server today, and get the latest
security updates. Since it sits behind my firewall, and I keep the
firewall well-watched - I have it email me the logs every day - and
updated, I don't check this box for updates all that regularly. I
should, tho - been a number of weeks since I did it. And since I use
Debian on that box, updating is very easy.

So I do

apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

(for you non-Debian users - that first command updates the list of
packages that are available for you to install, and the second will
upgrade any package you already have installed to the latest version
available from the list you got from the first command)

And get nothing; all packages are up to date. WTF?

That can't be right; I've seen the notices that there have been updated
files released, to fix some security problems in a number of programs.
Especially when this box runs both Apache and ProFTPD open to the
public, both of whom have had security fixes issued in the recent past.

That little detail I mentioned? Had the line in sources.list that says,
in effect, "Check for Debian Security Updates" commented out.

<SIGH>

So I fix that one line, and then did pick up the *21* security fixes I
was behind. So now, finally, I am up-to-date.

<mom mode>
Always look twice at your config files. that one character was putting
me at risk (well, that, and non-diligent updating :-) 
Always try and keep up to date on security fixes. 
Turn off services you don't need - I had forgotten that I was also
running bind on that machine (like most distros, Debian installs and
starts bind by default)- unecessarily, since my firewall runs a
caching-only nameserver that all stations on my LAN use. So I turned
bind off, too.
</mom mode>


-- 
 
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Michael J. Leone                  Registered Linux user #201348 
<mailto:turgon@mike-leone.com>    ICQ: 50453890
PGP Fingerprint: 0AA8 DC47 CB63 AE3F C739 6BF9 9AB4 1EF6 5AA5 BCDF

And if it's too much fun, that oughta clue you, son
You're probably doing something that's wrong ...
                                  "Don't Do It"
                                  Little Charlie and the Nightcats

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