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If you are looking for a very secure operating system, it is impossible not to come across OpenBSD.

The OpenBSD operating system, as a free and multi-platform Unix-based operating system, provides users with valuable benefits such as support for various hardware platforms, the possibility of integrating existing technologies and developing new technologies, high security, integrated encryption, etc.

Choosing a suitable operating system is very important in protecting internal network devices. This way, devices such as routers, firewalls, and some web servers are directly exposed to the Internet, creating a security challenge for the management team. In this article, we will take a complete look at OpenBSD operating system, and surely after reading this article, you will understand why you should choose this Linux operating system. For more information in this field, do not miss the following article:

What is an OpenBSD operating system?

OpenBSD is known as the most secure general-purpose Unix operating system (to date, of course). This operating system is free and open source and can be used for many platforms such as servers, NAS (network storage devices), workstations, and embedded systems.

Four important reasons that show that the OpenBSD operating system is the right choice:

1. being portable

The ability to run the OpenBSD operating system on various hardware, such as AMD64 servers, laptops, MIPS routers, etc., is considered a big advantage. This privilege increases the level of ability of developers to find errors.

2. the power

Supporting a variety of hardware architectures makes the OpenBSD operating system conservative in its use of resources such as CPU and RAM. This operating system is also noted for supporting old processors with low processing power.

3. Documentation

The OpenBSD operating system has the most extensive documentation among other operating systems. For more information about this, refer to the OpenBSD operating system documentation link.

4. Easy to use and free of charge

OpenBSD is free both in terms of the purchase cost and using features. This operating system is released under the terms of the BSD and ISC licenses and a few other licenses for some content.

For example, the ISC license is as follows:

Using, copying, modifying, and distributing this software for any purpose is free. Of course, provided that the copyright symbol appears at the top of all copies.
Features and tools of the OpenBSD operating system.

As we mentioned, OpenBSD is the most secure operating system on the planet. Having unique features has brought this operating system to this level of security, which we mention below:
Access level separation

Let’s say you have a server that runs another operating system in addition to OpenBSD that is compromised via SQL. If this SQL SERVER were run as a normal user, the system would be vulnerable to attack.

OpenBSD runs its internal webserver as the www user, a locked user account. Moreover, this execution takes place inside a chroot jail. This secure implementation prevents unauthorized access, and the attacker cannot even access a shell prompt to execute commands.

Other operating systems support the chroot jail but rarely use it.

Provide write or execute permission (as XOR)

This operating system’s next security feature is Write XOR Execute. According to this feature, the address space of a process or kernel can be writable or executable, not both.

OpenBSD was the first operating system to offer this feature in 2003 with version 3.3.
Guard pages

These pages insert a non-readable and non-writable page at the end of each memory page to detect an overrun.
Random addressing

The OpenBSD Linux operating system started the random addressing feature in 2003 and ended it in 2013, which is now known as position independent executable (PIE). With this feature, the code does not need to be in the same memory location each time it is executed. This feature prevents the attacker from accessing the data using a known offset.

Pledge and Unveil

Pledge and Unveil are two sides of the coin: Pledge is used for system calls, and Unveil is used to restrict access to the file system. These two elements prevent the program from being compromised. In case of danger, the hacker can only write to a file or directory or execute a specific system call.
But it’s time to check the most used OpenBSD Linux operating system tools:

OpenSSH – OpenSSH is known as the most famous OpenBSD operating system tool and is probably the backbone of the Internet. OpenSSH encrypts traffic for remote login with SSH protocol and provides secure tunneling, configuration, and authentication capabilities.

OpenBGPD – This tool is a free implementation of the Border Gateway Protocol that allows ordinary devices to be used as routers.

OpenNTPD – is a free network time protocol that synchronizes local time with remote NTP servers that can act as an NTP servers.

OpenSMTPD – is a free implementation of server-side SMTP that allows devices to send and receive email.

LibreSSL – As a version of the TLS/crypto stack, this OpenBSD operating system tool helps modernize code and implement development best practices to improve security.

Installing this operating system on a dedicated server will increase facilities and freedom of action in providing the desired services.

OpenBSD use cases

• Desktop or workstation operating system
• Email server with OpenSMTPD email delivery software
• Web server with httpd (an HTTP server with FastCGI and TLS support), Apache, or Nginx
• Firewall devise with built-in PF firewall
• Router with PF and OpenBGP software

Conclusion

We have covered everything you need to know about the OpenBSD operating system in detail in this article. OpenBSD should be your first choice if you’re looking for a highly secure Linux operating system.

If you want to use a server with excellent performance, productivity, and high security, buying a virtual server is a good idea. Because the features and facilities that are added to your business by purchasing a Linux virtual server and installing the OpenBSD operating system (or any other operating system of your choice) will open a way for you to progress faster, to get more information about the plans of Ded9 Company, you can refer to the virtual server purchase page, and by choosing the right plan, you can have a stronger start in this field.