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SubjectRE: Linux login security approaches
Date
The C-A-D intercepted in/by the kernel in NT is an implementation of a 
requirement for B1 security classification.

--Scott

From: Zow" Terry Brugger [mailto:zow@torii.bruggerink.com]

> I mentioned that Linux has got a weak point : every user can write a
fake
> login program and even the system administrator can think that it's
mgetty
> and type the root password :( This kind of Trojan programs can be
preceded.
> We should define a key combination which is unmaskable by ANY
process, and
> login procedures should begin by pressing this combo. However I was
told that
> this is "an NT way" solution, but I disagree. (I don't know anything
on

That is what NT does, but I remind everyone that just because NT does
something doesn't make it inherently bad. I actually think many of the
ideas
in NT are great, but the implimentation, support, marketing, etc leave
too
much to be desired.

On x86 NT machines (anyone know about Alpha?) one must press
Ctrl-Alt-Del in
order to pull up a login screen. Ctrl-Alt-Del can't be caught by user
progs,
only by the system and it works exactly as you specify. In the case of
xdm,
you would have to hit that key combo before the chooser came up. I
know that
Linux runs a program when it catches Ctrl-Alt-Del . This program is
specified
in inittab: it is usually "/sbin/shutdown -r". You could create a
modified xdm
that is run from inittab on Ctrl-Alt-Del. It could act differently
based on if
a user is logged in or not. I could go on, but I would basically just
describe
what NT does. I suggest that anyone who's interested in this go play
with an
NT box. You'll learn about this as well as appreciate Linux more when
you're
done.

<snip>
> bye : Gábor Lénárt,
>
-"Zow"


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