Vulnerability Development mailing list archives

Re: Problem with xkill


From: xm <xm () while1 net>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 17:06:47 -0500 (EST)

On Fri, 22 Mar 2002, Anthony Gruppuso wrote:

normal user, but what amazed me, was the my xkill process, as a normal
user, was able to kill a process that did not belong to me.  The other
user clicked the cursor on an xterm, and it died.  I checked to see if
the xkill binary was setuid root, but it was not.  This is definatley
not a good 'feature.' :)  Input on this logic would be greatly

From the Linux xkill manpage:

       Xkill is a utility for forcing the X server to close  con-
       nections  to clients.

It is not directly killing the program but forcing the X server to close
the client's connection. The security issue at hand is allowing you to
connect to his xserver (with the xkill binary).

-- 
xm () while1 net           (http://while1.net/)


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