Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i Linux Magazine

Dear Reader, We in the Linux community are steeped in the conventional wisdom that Linux is much more secure than Windows. It is, of course, and it always has been, but then, that isn’t saying much. The old versions of Windows that were around 20 years ago, when Linux was first starting to pick up steam, were really ridiculously insecure. Meanwhile, Microsoft kept bragging about how great Windows was and how you’d better be using it or you’d be left in the dust. The combination of Microsoft’s engineering buffoonery and malicious marketing (they called Linux a cancer) gave the Linux community an attitude that remains to this day. That attitude gave Linux developers an edge over the years when it came to competition and innovation, but the edge of attitude…

System76 has finally brought back the popular Kudu laptop workstation powerhouse. This time around the laptop is equipped with a 3rd-gen AMD (Zen 3) Ryzen 9 5900HX H-class processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. The CPU runs at 3.3 GHz but can be boosted up to 4.6 GHz. The Kudu is paired with NVidia RTX 3060 graphics and up to 64GB of Dual Channel DDR4 memory. According to Ben Shpurker, Product Manager at System76, “This combination makes it the perfect machine for creating on the go.” The Kudu laptop has a 15-inch FHD matte display and a thin bezel, but for creators of all kinds, the laptop can manage up to three external displays with one HDMI port, one Mini DisplayPort, and one DisplayPort over USB-C. Looking at ports,…

Linux Magazine www.linux-magazine.com ADMIN HPC http://www.admin-magazine.com/HPC/ Mounting Compressed Archives as a User • Jeff Layton Why splat a compressed archive in your storage when you can just mount it like a storage device? ADMIN Online http://www.admin-magazine.com/ Secure SSH Connections the Right Way  • Simon Böhm Admins use SSH, the proverbial Swiss Army knife of system management, for many of their daily tasks, but no matter how powerful the tool might be, it typically does not offer adequate protection. We look at ways to tighten SSH security. Getting Started with Prometheus  • Stefano Chittaro Prometheus is a centralized time series database with metrics, scraping, and alerting logic built in. We help you get started monitoring with Prometheus. Hunt Down Vulnerabilities with the Metasploit Pen-Testing Tool  • Markus Feilner The veteran Metasploit…

The “Filesystem” System Dov Murik from IBM posted some confidential computing (coco) patches. This is gussied-up marketing speak for “sandbox” (i.e., an isolated set of processes that implement security protections for whatever is going on inside). But, I’m not here to talk about coco. The interesting thing was that Dov’s patches used SecurityFS to provide the interface between the user and the secure area, which turned out to be controversial. SecurityFS came along about 15 years ago in the 2.6 timeframe in response to a frightening proliferation of homespun filesystems. The idea was for security modules to use the same SecurityFS application programming interface (API) and just do whatever insanity was boiling their brains in the back end. SecurityFS simply provided a consistent gateway so everyone’s various concepts could be…

Somehow, I seem to hold my cell phone wrong when taking pictures. It often happens that a picture that looks right in the phone’s photo gallery is suddenly upside down or on its side when I want to send it to friends on WhatsApp. A quick look at the metadata of the photo in question reveals what’s going wrong (Listing 1) [1]. It appears that my phone is saving images with the wrong orientation, but it is also storing the correction value, which shows up in the JPEG format’s Exif header to tell you how the photo actually should be rotated. I don’t know who came up with this idea, but assuming that any app looks in the Exif header first and then aligns the image correctly seems like a…

Raspberry Pi OS comes with all the drivers required for the HiFiBerry products. Instead of HiFiBerryOS, then, you could use Raspberry Pi OS and manually install all the required services. However, even setting up Bluetooth could cause you to break a sweat and lose half a weekend. If you still want to try it, you will find instructions online [1]. Although it makes sense to shut down Raspberry Pi OS gracefully, most people simply switch a boombox or hi-fi system on and off with the power switch. For this to work, you need to run the system completely in main memory. However, setting up this kind of configuration is time consuming and complex. Going for HiFiBerryOS will take you to your goal far faster and is easier on your nerves.…

Freeing home IoT and WiFi Recently, I upgraded my home Internet to fiber and 1Gbps symmetric service, so I theoretically get 1Gbps communication up and down from my provider. For most people, that translates to a thought pattern of “I can move data at 1Gbps from my laptop/​desktop/​phone” which can be fairly far from the truth. Because of overhead in communications, you can look for between five and 10 percent loss in your throughput, even in the best of all possible situations. Therefore you might see 995Mbps to 990Mbps as actual data throughput, even with a Cat 6 cable of four feet hard wired to the LAN ports of your WiFi router. Recognizing that WiFi would probably be slower, and likewise, the server at the other end would help determine…

Matplotlib [1] is an open source Python library for high-quality data visualization, which you can use interactively or inside scripts. While Matplotlib might look like just a supercharged version of the venerable plotting utility Gnuplot [2], that’s not the whole story. Matplotlib really shines in the integration of charting with heavy numeric processing. When combined with other Python libraries, such as NumPy and pandas (see the “Matplotlib’s Partners: NumPy and pandas” box), Matplotlib is often considered an effective open source alternative to MATLAB [3]. Some tools have steeper learning curves than others. In my opinion, Matplotlib’s learning curve is wider, not steeper than average. For example, Matplotlib has an entire tutorial devoted to colors specifications! In other words, Matplotlib has so many features and options that it looks much more…

Users, developers, and vendors meet at Linux events around the world. We at Linux Magazine are proud to sponsor the Featured Events shown here. For other events near you, check our extensive events calendar online at https://www.linux-magazine.com/events. If you know of another Linux event you would like us to add to our calendar, please send a message with all the details to events@linux-magazine.com. NOTICE Be sure to check the event website before booking any travel, as many events are being canceled or converted to virtual events due to the effects of COVID-19. DrupalCon Portland Date: April 25-28, 2022 Location: Portland, Oregon Website: https://events.drupal.org/portland2022 Come to the Drupal community’s largest annual event – in person! Build your skills, learn more about what Drupal can do, and contribute to advancing the open source…

Preview Newsletter The Linux Magazine Preview is a monthly email newsletter that gives you a sneak peek at the next issue, including links to articles posted online. Sign up at: https://bit.ly/Linux-Update Approximate UK /Europe Apr 02 USA /Canada Apr 29 Australia May 30 On Sale Date Please note: On sale dates are approximate and may be delayed because of logistical issues.…

Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon 64-bit Codenamed “Una,” Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon is the latest long term support (LTS) release for Linux Mint, with support until 2025. It features Cinnamon, Mint’s popular desktop environment. Like most standard Mint releases, Una is based on Ubuntu, which in turn is based on Debian. The Debian edition of the same release is available as Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 5, codenamed “Elsie.” Cinnamon has a reputation for cautious innovation, with a few new features in every release, and Linux Mint 20.3 is no exception. Many tweaks have been made to the look and feel, with makeovers of existing themes and several new wallpapers, as well as the enlargement of titlebars and their buttons, with rounded corners adding a softer look. For those who prefer…

Ubuntu Budgie is already a well-designed Linux desktop distribution with a pleasant UI that makes interacting with Linux incredibly simple. And with the upcoming release of 22.04, the developers are adding a new layer of goodness to the platform. First and foremost, the new release will include tools to vastly improve the gaming experience. Gamers will find tools such as MangoHUD (a Vulkan and OpenGL overlay for monitoring FPS, temperatures, CPU/GPU load, and more), CoreCtrl (allows you to control computer hardware with application profiles), Polychromatic and Open-RGB (RGP lighting management). Next up comes the easy installation of apps such as Steam, Lutris, RetroARch, Discord, and OBS Studio. The developers are also mulling over adding GreenWithEnvy, the GTK system utility that is designed to provide information, control fans, and overclock NVidia…

Now that the holidays are in the rearview mirror, Linus Torvalds’ family-related travels are over and he can go back to doing what he does best … the Linux kernel. As expected, there are plenty of bug fixes, code cleanups, and new features. Although there aren’t any absolute game-changers coming, there are some interesting fixes and additions. ARM64 will receive the addition of a Kernel Concurrency Sanitizer (KSCAN), which is a race condition detector. Also introduced is the initial work for the Scalable Matrix Extensions that will provide better and faster support for Matrix operations on ARM64 architecture. ARM is also gaining support for Snapdragon 8 (Gen 1) and X65 platforms. AMD is bringing k10temp-based CPU temperature monitoring for its AMD Zen 19h line of CPUs. AMD also sees the…

It’s no coincidence that portable computers have pushed desktop PCs into the background over the past 10 years. Today, users only need desktop systems for computationally intensive work such as video rendering or games. For everything else, even mid-range laptops are now perfectly adequate. But laptops also have one disadvantage: They are far easier to steal than a standalone PC. An appropriate insurance policy can cushion the cost of replacing the device in case of theft. However, it is not so easy to compensate for the loss of data. Corporations and users can only protect themselves effectively against this kind of horror scenario by completely encrypting the data carriers in the device, from USB sticks to external hard drives. How can a Linux user best secure disk data by means…

Proprietary NVIDIA [1] drivers on Linux are an evil so necessary that even the staunchest of open source advocates will find a use case for them from time to time. Whether for gaming, mining, or some other hardware-accelerated task, the green giant is here to stay, for better or for worse, and sadly seems to be wholeheartedly opposed to going all in with open source. Unlike AMD [2] driver support – which is simply fantastic on Linux, as I am sure most of you know already – NVIDIA doesn’t seem to be willing to play nicely. One has to wonder if they feel that they simply don’t need to, that their sway over the market sets them apart from others and absolves them of the responsibility that the other players…

One of the most recent revolutions in technology, alongside the likes of home 3D printing, virtual reality, and the Raspberry Pi, is the ability for any of us to create a circuit and get it printed. There’s even a choice of software you can use to do this, and we’ve covered several in this magazine. Perhaps the most mature is KiCAD, a well-established schematics editor that lets you create a circuit, verify its design, simulate its execution, and test the electrical rules that govern its function. KiCAD will then automatically generate a PCB layout and export the results in a format that can be sent to a PCB manufacturer. It’s simple enough that even beginners can use it to produce their first circuits, but it’s also advanced enough that many…

Order online: https://bit.ly/Linux-Newsstand #256/March 2022 Facial Recognition Biometrics got a boost recently with the arrival of Microsoft’s Hello technology. Now the open source world is catching up, with an innovative tool appropriately called Howdy. Facial authentication might not be ready for the CIA yet, but we’ll help you get started with Howdy and explore the possibilities of authenticating with a glance. On the DVD: antiX 21 and Haiku R1/Beta 3 #255/February 2022 Break It to Make It Fuzz Testing: Ever wonder how attackers discover those "carefully crafted input strings" that crash programs and surrender control? Welcome to the world of fuzz testing. We introduce you to the art of fuzzing and explore some leading fuzz testing techniques. On the DVD: Parrot OS 4.11 and Fedora Workstation 35 #254/January 2022 Phone Hacks…

We are always looking for good articles on Linux and the tools of the Linux environment. Although we will consider any topic, the following themes are of special interest: • System administration• Useful tips and tools• Security, both news and techniques• Product reviews, especially from real-world experience• Community news and projects If you have an idea, send a proposal with an outline, an estimate of the length, a description of your background, and contact information to edit@​linux-magazine.com. The technical level of the article should be consistent with what you normally read in Linux Magazine. Remember that Linux Magazine is read in many countries, and your article may be translated into one of our sister publications. Therefore, it is best to avoid using slang and idioms that might not be understood…

Linux Mint 20.3 is now widely available and ships with kernel 5.4. For anyone that uses the latest-gen hardware, that older kernel could be problematic. So, for those Mint users who do have hardware unsupported by the 5.4 kernel, there’s now an option. Linux Mint 20.3 Edge is a version of the distribution that ships with kernel 5.13.0-25, which means you’ll find more new hardware supported. By employing this new kernel, Edge adds support for Apple M1 (initial support), preliminary Intel Alder Lake S graphics, AMD GPU Freesync/Adaptive-Sync HDMI, AMD Alderbaran accelerator, generic USB display, Loongson 2K1000, preparations for Intel discrete graphics, and Intel DG1 Platform Monitoring Technology. As far as the user-facing features for Linux Mint Edge, they’ll be the same as you’d find with the default release. You’ll…

CVE-2021-4034 has been identified (https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-4034). This new vulnerability, named PwnKit, was tracked to an initial commit for pkexec from over 12 years ago. Because of the age of the flaw, every Linux distribution that depends on Polkit is affected. The pkexec negotiates the interaction between privileged and unprivileged processes and allows authorized users to execute commands as other users. Researchers at Qualys discovered the pkexec command (https://blog.qualys.com/vulnerabilities-threat-research/2022/01/25/pwnkit-local-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-discovered-in-polkits-pkexec-cve-2021-4034) could be used by local attackers to increase privileges to root in Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and CentOS (and warn that it’s most likely exploitable in other distributions as well). It’s important to understand that with this vulnerability an attacker can gain full root privileges on your system using just the default polkit configuration. Of course, two of the major distributions, Ubuntu and Red…

It would be an understatement to say that Linux and NVIDIA have had an uneasy relationship. The massive NVIDIA, famous for graphics cards and other computer hardware components, has a long history of recalcitrance when it comes to Linux compatibility. Things are a little better than they were – at least some Linux drivers exist today – but most of those drivers are proprietary, and the company doesn’t invest much in showing Linux users how to work with their hardware. In this month’s Linux voice, we’ll help you swim through the NVIDIA driver soup using tools and resources available through Ubuntu. Also inside: You’ll take your first steps with Matplotlib, an open source Python library for graphing and other data visualization tasks.…

Sparkling gems and new releases from the world of Free and Open Source Software Blender 3.0 We’ve looked at updates to Blender before but never one as significant as this. Blender 3.0 comes 22 years after Blender 2.0. This period covers the project from directly after the source code was released as freeware in 2000 through the creation of the Blender Foundation in 2002 and it’s true open sourcing in 2003, before the incredible number of world-changing feature updates that have defined the 2.x release cycle. Hugely influential, Blender is a lighthouse project for what open source can achieve. From modeling, animation, movies, and 3D rendering to architecture, 3D printing, and game design, Blender has received unparalleled industry recognition and is used by hobbyists, students, and professionals alike. Not just…