Setting Up a Linux Intrusion Detection System with AIDE

Setting Up a Linux Intrusion Detection System with AIDE

An intrusion detection system (IDS) is an important security tool for system administrators. Its purpose is to notify us whenever it detects that a potential intrusion has occurred. When an attacker compromises a system, one of the first things they will usually do is attempt to change file permissions, attempt to escalate to the root user account, or start modifying system files. The IDS is configured to monitor for these changes and make us aware of them if they occur.

Read more

How to use Raspberry Pi to monitor network traffic

How to use Raspberry Pi to monitor network traffic

There are a plethora of tools available for the Raspberry Pi that system administrators can use to monitor network traffic. Newer Raspberry Pi models even come with a built in WiFi chip in addition to the traditional Ethernet port, giving us even more options for connecting to networks and monitoring traffic. Network monitoring can be useful for troubleshooting connectivity problems or identifying bottlenecks that are slowing down connections.

Read more

Set up Raspberry Pi as Router

Set up Raspberry Pi as Router

The Raspberry Pi can be a great choice if you want to implement a customizable router for your home network. Rather than paying big bucks for a router which is not as configurable due to its proprietary software, the Raspberry Pi can be transformed into a router while retaining its default Linux operating system, with which system administrators are very familiar. Firewall rules and network monitoring are made easy when all of the traffic is passing through the Raspberry Pi instead of a locked down router.

Read more

Raspberry Pi 4 enable UART

Raspberry Pi 4 enable UART

Among the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi are two that are capable of UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter). UART is a serial connection which, when utilized on the Raspberry Pi, can send data between the Raspberry Pi and an external device. It is one of simplest connection types available on Raspberry Pi, which means it is easy to use but also more limited in functionality.

Read more

How to Run a Bitcoin Full Node on Debian Linux

How to Run a Bitcoin Full Node on Debian Linux

Running a Bitcoin full node means that your system will be able to validate Bitcoin transactions and blocks. The full node will serve a broad function by joining the network of Bitcoin nodes and helping to verify and update transaction information across the entire platform. The benefit of running your own full node is enhanced privacy, since your own transactions will not necessarily need to update to third party nodes, but can do so from your own.

Read more

How to stream video on Raspberry Pi

How to stream video on Raspberry Pi

A Raspberry Pi can have a myriad of specialized uses, and streaming live video is one of them. There are multiple camera models sold for the Raspberry Pi, which you can browse over at the official website. These cameras plug in via ribbon cable directly to the board of the Raspberry Pi, and then it is an easy set up to stream the video or take still pictures from the camera.

Read more

Raspberry Pi black screen after boot

Raspberry Pi black screen after boot

Although it is not a common error, some users may encounter a black screen when using a Raspberry Pi. The error is most likely to occur when first booting the Raspberry Pi, giving users very little opportunity to perform any kind of investigation into the problem for troubleshooting. In this tutorial, we will look at some ways to solve the black screen problem that occurs when booting a Raspberry Pi. This will include a few different methods, as the exact cause can vary and sometimes be hard to pinpoint.

Read more

How to Utilize Ubuntu Logs for Troubleshooting

How to Utilize Ubuntu Logs for Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting system issues in Ubuntu Linux, the best way to get started is by perusing the system logs. Basically every system event is logged somewhere. This includes kernel messages, service status messages, and almost anything else you can imagine. It is not uncommon for system logs to quickly fill up with millions of entries over a short period of time. With all this information available, we just need to know how to find what we are looking for, and then can quickly pinpoint the culprit of pesky system issues in Ubuntu.

Read more

How to configure Certificate Authority on Ubuntu/Debian

How to configure Certificate Authority on Ubuntu/Debian

A Certificate Authority plays a vital role in ensuring and verifying secure connections between clients and servers. When you try to connect to a remote server – let’s say a website, for example – how does your system know that it is connecting to the right place? After all, there is nothing stopping any rogue system from claiming itself as a website which it is actually not. This is where certificate authority servers come into play, by helping our client system verify that we are connecting to the intended server. This particular example is in the context of a website connection, so would involve the HTTPS protocol, but certificate authorities can also be used to authenticate other types of connections, such as VPN.

Read more

Step-by-Step Guide: Adding Certificates to Ubuntu's Trusted Authorities

Step-by-Step Guide: Adding Certificates to Ubuntu’s Trusted Authorities

In today’s digital landscape, we must be careful to authenticate our network connections to remote servers. To help keep us secure, we use certificates that allow us to verify connections between clients and servers. A Certificate Authority is a crucial part of this process, as it is responsible for issuing the certificates to clients and servers, and verifying the devices that are trying to establish secure connections to each other.

Read more

How to Check GPIO Status

How to check GPIO status

The GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) pins of the Raspberry Pi are how the device can interface with external hardware components. It is how things like sensors and actuators plug into the Raspberry Pi, and allow users to control such devices from the Raspberry Pi itself. Something as simple as turning an LED on or off will require setting the pin to which it is plugged in to either true or false, which changes the current status of that pin.

Read more

Raspberry Pi as Music Streamer

Raspberry Pi as Music Streamer

Thanks to its small size and simple requirements, the Raspberry Pi can be transformed into a variety of different specialized devices. One such role that it can fill is that of a dedicated music streamer, or jukebox. Whether you have your own music files (MP3, FLAC, etc) already downloaded and want to stream them to speakers around the house, or you rely on streaming services like Spotify or Pandora, utilizing the Raspberry Pi as a music streamer is a great way to enjoy some tunes. In this tutorial, we will go over the step by step instructions to help you turn your Raspberry Pi into the ideal music streaming device.

Read more