Re: Window manager - implementation bug/feature ???

[eparker () MINDSEC COM (Erik Parker)]

> <snip>
>
> This is normal behaviour under Red Hat *ONLY* when you log in physically
> to the machine (i.e. from the console). Red Hat assumes that normal users
> who are sitting in front of the machine will want to play CDs, use audio,
> etc. without having to become root. This increases security, because
> people don't need the root password to play CDs anymore. It doesn't happen
> if you log in remotely by telnet.
>
> For more details, man console.perms and console.apps, and check the fiels
> listed by rpm -ql pam.

Let me tell you.. This just SCARES the hell out of me. Slackwares
implementation of the shadow password suite, gives you this
option in the login.defs file..

#
# List of groups to add to the user's supplementary group set
# when logging in on the console (as determined by the CONSOLE
# setting).  Default is none.
#
# Use with caution - it is possible for users to gain permanent
# access to these groups, even when not logged in on the console.
# How to do it is left as an exercise for the reader...
#
#CONSOLE_GROUPS         floppy:audio:cdrom

So you can pick what groups users automagically have access to
when they sit down at console. it is a good idea, and granted, many
sit down, and if its at your home and not in a server environment, this
is probably OK. However, /dev/hdc is what bothers me. You give a certain
amount of trust to let a friend sit at your linux box anyway, since
if they really wanted to, compromising it while your away for 30 minutes
wouldn't be difficult.. however it would be noticed in most cases..
(uptime.. luckily, most of my friends are idiots when it comes to anything
but Microsoft billyware).. However, /dev/hdc is not his CDrom unless his
primary hard drive is SCSI, and his cdrom is primary IDE.. then I can
understand that.. but it doesn't sound like that is the case.. sounds like
the user when the login has access to everything on that drive.

But he said this was when he launched Gnome or KDE.. Does Redhat have
an implementation of their own startx type programs, that change these
permissions?

But again, you shouldn't be starting X as root anyway, just use the SUID
wrapper.

Erik Parker
eparker () mindsec com