The Linux stories enterprise IT leaders actually read.
Volume 343, Issue 1 · 6 articles from 3 issues
How to harden SSH on Ubuntu 26.04 with sshd_config drop-ins, UFW and Fail2Ban, including avoiding cloud-init config overrides.
Tecmint's guide to securing SSH on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, with notes for 24.04, starts from the hundreds of failed login attempts any internet-facing server sees in a day.
It explains that sshd loads drop-in files in lexical order and uses the first value found, so a cloud image's 50-cloud-init.conf can silently re-enable password authentication unless a 00-hardening.conf file takes precedence.
The guide then covers disabling password logins, tightening daemon settings and adding UFW and Fail2Ban protections, while keeping an existing session open to avoid lockouts.
Tecmint compares five lightweight container tools for edge Linux devices, including containerd with nerdctl, on memory and reliability.
Tecmint notes that Podman runs fine on small ARM edge devices but doesn't address edge problems such as image pulls failing over weak 4G links, managing devices as a group or running lightweight system containers.
It compares five alternatives built on the same kernel namespaces and cgroups by idle memory, OCI image support, reliability on unstable networks and active maintenance, testing each with hands-on examples.
The first is containerd with nerdctl, which offers a Docker-compatible CLI without Docker Engine and installs with runc, CNI plugins and BuildKit.
Google's experimental Kage uses compiler-based sandboxing to isolate Linux drivers without moving them to user space.
Presented at Linux Plumbers Conference 2026, Google and Stanford's Kage project uses LLVM Lightweight Fault Isolation to sandbox device drivers inside the kernel, containing memory corruption bugs and exploits while keeping in-kernel performance.
Prototypes already work with NVMe, networking and Wi-Fi drivers, though Kage is still research and questions remain about performance, hardware access and complex drivers such as graphics.
If it matures, it could shrink one of Linux's largest attack surfaces.
A longtime Linux user explains how Linux Mint's polish and Windows-like design make it an easy switch.
The author, a Linux veteran, tries Linux Mint and finds five reasons it appeals to Windows switchers: an accessible, jargon-free installer; a Windows-like taskbar and uncluttered interface; a software center that recommends familiar proprietary apps like Spotify alongside open-source ones; built-in multimedia codec installation without terminal commands; and a straightforward post-install update process.
The piece concludes that Mint successfully bridges Linux's technical reputation with mainstream usability, making it a strong entry point for people leaving Windows.
Microsoft's WSL containers (WSLc) let developers build and run native OCI Linux containers on Windows without Docker Desktop.
Microsoft has made WSL containers generally available, an open source Windows Subsystem for Linux runtime for building and running native Linux OCI containers on Windows, with a CLI (wslc.exe) and an API for programmatic control from Windows applications.
Unlike Docker Desktop, it integrates with Intune, which can enable or disable WSL containers and restrict image pulls to approved registries, and with Defender for Endpoint, which surfaces container process, file and network activity.
The article also covers ext4 VHD volumes, VirtioFS bind mounts and a new networking model.
Linux Foundation Research finds AI workloads now drive data infrastructure choices, with OpenSearch adoption trends.
Linux Foundation Research's Hilary Carter summarizes the 2026 Data Infrastructure Report on AI, governance and OpenSearch adoption, released at OpenSearchCon, which finds at least 83% of organizations run or plan AI workloads, rising above 90% among large enterprises.
Generative AI and LLM applications are the leading data infrastructure use case at 82%, drawing on log and operational data, transactional data and internal knowledge repositories.
84% say single-platform access to enterprise data is critical for AI, which strengthens demand for consolidated open source search and observability platforms.