advanced Level

2 Hands-on labs

Red Hat Certified Specialist in Server Hardening Prep Course

By Terry Cox

Learn how to secure your servers in preparation for the EX413 exam.

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32 hours

48 Lessons
2 Hands-On Labs
13 Course Quizzes
1 Practice Exam

About the course

The performance-based Red Hat Certificate of Expertise in Server Hardening exam (EX413) tests your ability to perform a number of systems administration tasks focused on securing servers against unauthorized access.

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What are Hands-on Labs

What's the difference between theoretical knowledge and real skills? Practical real-world experience. That's where Hands-on Labs come in! Hands-on Labs are guided, interactive experiences that help you learn and practice real-world scenarios in real cloud environments. Hands-on Labs are seamlessly integrated in courses, so you can learn by doing.

Practice alongside courses in Cloud Playground

What is Cloud Playground? Cloud Playground lets you build skills in real-world AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure environments. Spin up risk-free Sandboxes, Servers and Terminals and follow along with courses, test a new idea or prepare for exams.

Plans & Pricing

Choosing is the first step

Whether you’re a small team, a global enterprise, or somewhere in between, we offer multiple plans so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

Business Basic

^$ 41.59 / user monthly

Billed as $499 / user yearly

Hands-on learning for smaller teams
Unlimited courses, quizzes, and practice exams
Full learn-by-doing experience with Hands-on Labs and Cloud Playground
User and skills analytics

Business Plus

Scalability for larger teams and entire organizations
Everything in Business Basic, plus:
Evaluate team readiness with Skills Assessment
Manage teams, single sign-on (SSO), and reporting
Fast-track learning with Study Groups and Accelerator Programs
Dedicated Customer Success Manager

Business Basic

$499 / year

Business Plus

$699 / year

Unlimited Courses

Learning without limits

Teams learn from anywhere with unlimited access to certification courses and deep dives on AWS, Azure, GCP, Linux, and so much more.

Unlimited Hands-on Labs

Learn faster by doing

Teams learn by doing with guided labs based on real-world scenarios in a secure, risk-free environment. Build new skills in as little as 15 minutes.

Learning Paths

Take your teams from novice to guru

Not sure how to proceed? We’ll guide you through the exact skills your team needs to progress from novice to guru across a variety of cloud specialties, including Architect, Security, and DevOps.

Cloud Playground - Servers

Cloud on demand

Your learners can spin up pre-configured, auto-provisioned servers in just a few clicks. Provide safe practice environments and never worry about a surprise cloud bill.

Cloud Playground - Instant Terminal

SSH on demand

Quickly and safely launch a secure, in-browser SSH terminal into any instance on any provider – even behind a firewall.

Cloud Playground - Sandboxes

Learn by doing

Teams learn faster by doing with Cloud Playground. Try out new cloud skills in live AWS, Azure, and GCP sandbox environments — without racking up a surprise bill. Cloud along with courses, test ideas, and prepare for exams.

ACG Original Series

Keep up with the cloud

Stay up-to-date on all things cloud with weekly and monthly videos about the latest developments in AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes.

Practice Exams

Put skills to the test

Learners prepare for certs with practice exams that mimic the real thing. Plus, they get personalized pointers on how to improve their scores.

Quizzes

Pop quiz, hot shot

Quickly check knowledge on a variety of topics and know where to brush up with short quizzes.

Community Forums

Cloud with friends

Learners get the help they need, when they need it, from industry experts and others in the community.

ACG Mobile Apps

Keep ACG in your pocket

Teams learn cloud from anywhere with our mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Mobile Offline Mode

Learn off the grid

No internet connection? No problem. Download courses for offline access with our app for iOS and Android.

Records of Completion

Achievement unlocked

Records of completion make it easy for your learners to mark and showcase progress.

Video Transcripts & Captions

For the record

Learners read along when sound isn’t an option and skip furiously scribbling notes. Our transcripts and captions are also fully searchable, making it easy to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Interactive Diagrams

Study aids on demand

Snag clickable, PDF versions of core concepts to revisit later. Our diagrams make great study aids, help build retention, and can act as handy cheat sheets for a quick refresher down the road.

Email Support

One dashboard to rule them all

Easily assign new users, track learning and ROI with usage and skill analytics, and manage the entire ACG for Business experience from one central location.

Skills Assessment

Know where you stand

Take stock of your organization’s cloud readiness so you can know exactly where to start.

Learning Accelerator

Get to the cloud faster

Fast-track your organization’s path to cloud fluency with sprint-based certification tracks, including weekly lessons, hands-on projects and whitepapers.

Study Groups

Learn better together

Group learners together so they can support each other and build skills faster. Discussing topics and helping others understand concepts boosts retention and builds camaraderie.

Certification Reporting

Skills at a glance

Keep tabs on skills and certifications across your organization to properly staff projects, track progress, and inform learning goals.

Team Management

Easy organization by teams

Create and assign learners to teams for easier management, tracking, and reporting. Designate team coordinators to help keep teams on track, and know who’s conquering the cloud or needs a nudge with the team leaderboard.

Single Sign-On

Invite 10 to 10,000 or more

Use your company’s ID and password to make management and scalability a breeze.

LMS Integration

Connect all the dots

Integrate results and reporting into your existing learning management systems for a 360-degree view of employee skills development.LMS Integration currently available for EdCast and Degreed.

API Access

Get your bits

Automatically transfer raw usage and skills data to your data warehouse or other repository.

Dedicated Customer Success Manager *

We’ve got your back

Get the most out of ACG for Business with a dedicated cloud learning consultant to support you with onboarding, best practices, and more.

Personalized Onboarding *

We’ll show you the ropes

Get up and running the right way. Let one of our learning gurus take you through an onboarding experience tailored to your needs.

Contact Sales

* Available with 50+ seats

Plans & Pricing

Choosing is the first step

Whether you’re an individual learner, a global enterprise, or somewhere in between, we offer several plans so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

Free

^$ 0 / month

Limited access to basic courses and features
Rotating selection of limited courses
Stay ahead with weekly cloud roundups
Engage with a vibrant community of learners and experts

Personal Basic

^$ 39 ^$ 31.59 / month

Billed as $379 per year

Pay Yearly Pay Monthly

Save 19% with annual plan!

Full access to our hands-on learning library
Includes FREE 7-Day trial
Unlimited courses, quizzes, & practice exams
Unlimited Hands-on Labs
Practice in real multi-platform servers

Start a Free Trial

Personal Plus

^$ 41.59 / month

Billed as $499 per year

Everything in Personal Basic, plus:
Full learn-by-doing experience in real AWS, Azure, & GCP environments!
Unlimited access to full Cloud Sandboxes
Includes FREE 7-Day trial
No account setup or cloud bills

Start a Free Trial

Free

Personal Basic

$379 / year

Personal Plus

$499 / year

Unlimited Courses

limited

Learn without limits

Learn from anywhere with unlimited access to certification courses and deep dives on AWS, Azure, GCP, Linux, and so much more.

Quizzes

limited

Pop quiz, hot shot

Quickly check your knowledge on a variety of topics and know where to brush up with short quizzes.

ACG Original Series

Keep up with the cloud

Stay up-to-date on all things cloud with weekly and monthly videos about the latest developments in AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes.

Community Forums

Cloud with friends

Get the help you need, when you need it, from industry experts and other learners in the community — and help others in turn.

Learning Paths

Go from novice to guru in your chose specialty

Not sure how to proceed? We’ll guide you through the exact skills you need to gain to progress from novice to guru across a variety of cloud specialties, including Architect, Security, and DevOps.

ACG Mobile Apps

Keep ACG in your pocket

Learn cloud from anywhere with our mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Mobile Offline Mode

Learn off the grid

No internet connection? No problem. Download courses for offline access with our app for iOS and Android.

Unlimited Hands-on Labs

Get your hands cloudy

Learn by doing with guided labs based on real-world scenarios in a secure, risk-free environment. Build new skills in as little as 15 minutes.

Practice Exams

Put your skills to the test

Prepare for your certs with practice exams that mimic the real thing. Plus, get personalized pointers on how to improve your score.

Interactive Diagrams

Study aids on demand

Snag clickable, PDF versions of core concepts to revisit later. Our diagrams make great study aids, help build retention, and can act as handy cheat sheets for a quick refresher down the road.

Video Transcripts & Captions

For the record

Read along when sound isn’t an option and skip furiously scribbling notes. Our transcripts and captions are also fully searchable, making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Records of Completion

Achievement unlocked

Earn a little something when you complete courses. Records of completion make it easy to mark and showcase your progress.

Email Support

Cloud on demand

Spin up pre-configured, auto-provisioned servers in just a few clicks. Cloud along with courses, practice whenever you feel like it, and never worry about a surprise cloud bill.

Cloud Playground - Instant Terminal

SSH on demand

Quickly launch a secure, in-browser SSH terminal into any instance on any provider – even behind a firewall.

Cloud Playground - Sandboxes

Personal Plus Only

Learn by doing

Learn by doing with Cloud Playground. Try out new cloud skills in live AWS, Azure, and GCP sandbox environments — without racking up a surprise bill. Cloud along with courses, test an idea at work or prepare for exams.

Free
$0

Personal Basic
$379 / year

Personal Plus
$499 / year

Start Free

Free Trial

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Hands-on Labs

Red Hat Certified Specialist in Server Hardening Prep Course

About the course

An Important Note About A Cloud Guru and Linux Academy Courses

Meet Your Course Author

Course Prerequisites

Why Server Hardening?

The CIA Model

Updating Systems

Updating Software on Linux

RHCS Certified Specialist in Server Hardening - Identify Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures

Verifying Packages - Yum

Installing and Verifying Packages with RPM

RHCS Certified Specialist in Server Hardening - Verify package security and validity

Common Standards

Common Standards - Examples

Create and Use Encrypted File Systems

File System Features

File System Features - Hands On

Add a New File System to the Server

RHCS - Server Hardening - Identify and Employ Standard Base Practices

File System Properties for ext4

File System Properties for XFS

Files - SUID

Files - GID

Files - Sticky Bit

Files - FACL

RHCS - Server Hardening - Configure Defaults for Filesystems

Security Tools - AIDE

Security Tools - OSSEC

RHCS - Server Hardening - Install and use intrusion detection

User Accounts

Setting User Account Defaults

Group Accounts and Group Administrators

RHCS - Server Hardening - Manage User Account and Password Security

What is PAM

A Further Look at PAM

RHCS - Server Hardening - Pluggable authentication modules

Console Security

Console Security - Hands On

RHCS - Server Hardening - Configure Console Security

Changing the SSH Banner

Changing the Message of the Day

Use a Shell Script to Customize a Message Viewed Upon Login

RHCS - Server Hardening - System-wide Acceptable Use Notifications

What is IdM? - Identity Management

Install IdM - Identity Management Server

Install IdM on a Client Server

RHCS - Server Hardening - Install and Configure Identity Management Services

System Logging via rsyslog

Managing System Log Files

Configure Remote Logging Services

RHCS - Server Hardening - Configure remote system logging services

Configure and Install System Auditing Services

Review Audit Data

Getting Reports Out of Audit Data

RHCS - Server Hardening - Configure System Auditing Services

Install and Use nmap

Install and Use nessus

IPTables Overview

IPTables - Part 2

RHCS - Server Hardening - Network Scanning Tools and iptables

Conclusion

Next Steps

RHCS - Server Hardening - Practice Exam

Plans & Pricing

Choosing is the first step

Business Basic

Business Plus

Learning without limits

Learn faster by doing

Take your teams from novice to guru

Cloud on demand

SSH on demand

Learn by doing

Keep up with the cloud

Put skills to the test

Pop quiz, hot shot