We'll be honest, computer security is something we'd rather not have to deal with. It'd be much nicer if we lived in a world where we didn't have to remember different complex passwords for every service we used, or have to carefully configure every network-facing service to ensure it remains secure against attack, but we have to live with the reality of the world we live in.

Attacks are commonplace and getting more sophisticated every day. Weak passwords will be broken sooner or later, and any open port on the Internet is under a constant bombardment from scanners trying to find vulnerabilities (just take a look at your logfiles if you don't believe us). Network security is usually dealt with on a service-by-service basis, but we're going to look at a way of locking everything down with a single bit of software.

Where most secure protocols (e.g., SSH or HTTPS) are designed to bring two computers together securely, Tinc brings the same technology to groups of computers. It allows you to create a mesh network between multiple machines regardless of where they're physically located where all communication between the machines is encrypted and authenticated. (See the "A Whirlwind Guide to Communications Protocols" box for more information.)

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