Ben, Security is HARD...there are just too many variables. The OS is just one variable. That said, many Linux distributions are not very secure out of the box (some are though). However, they can be made more secure. I work from the assumption that Linux is no more secure than the average Windows 98 installation. Though this is hyperbole, I build the box up from there. You really should acquire several books on Linux security and implement the basics. Go to www.tldp.org. This is The Linux Documentation Project. Click on "GUIDES" and scroll down to "Securing and Optimizing Linux". Read the first sections and implement the basics contained in that manual. You should also read the SAG (Systems Administrator Guide) and NAG (Network Administrator Guide) also on that page. When you are working with Securing and Optimizing Linux, remember it was written for Red Hat. This means some of files will not be in the same location as shown in the book. Type "man find" on the command line to learn how to use the find command. Here's an example: find / -iname '*pass*' 2>/dev/null. This finds all files that have p-a-s-s in them. So, it would find /etc/passwd at a minimum. If you know the full filename, then use: find / -iname passwd 2>/dev/null. This will show you all instances of passwd under the / directory. SuSE generally includes a script called harden_suse (or something like that). You should be able to run it directly or through the YAST2 tool (I think through the security level). Run it and paranoid levels. You may want to acquire some books on Linux security. I highly recommend: _Linux System Security: The Administrator's Guide to Open Source Security Tools, Second Edition_ by Scott Mann, Ellen Mitchell, Michell Krell, and Mitch Krell. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0130470112/qid=1096377802/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_9/002-9334792-9580834?v=glance&s=books For general Linux system administration, buy: The Linux System Administration Handbook by Evi Nemeth, et al. Both books will help you ALOT! Good luck! --Tom