Re: polkitd service user privilege separation

[Johannes Segitz <jsegitz () suse de>]

On Thu, Mar 30, 2023 at 02:08:10PM +0000, Jordan Glover wrote:
> Is it valid conclusion that polkitd would be better of just running as
> root? That would clear any possible confusion. Or are there advantages of
> running it as separate "trusted" user?

It adds an additional step an attacker needs to take before having root
privileges. Also it is not just about security, it also helps to limit the
impact of non-security bugs. So I would keep the service user, but add
clear language that explains that this isn't a meaningful security boundary
and that this account needs to be considered to have root privileges.

Johannes
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