Messages in this thread | | | Date | Wed, 12 Jan 2005 19:54:10 -0800 | From | Chris Wright <> | Subject | Re: thoughts on kernel security issues |
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* Andrew Morton (akpm@osdl.org) wrote: > yup. But there are so many ways to cripple a Linux box once you have local > access. Another means which happens to be bug-induced doesn't seem > important.
That depends on the environment. If it's already locked down via MAC and rlimits, etc. and the bug now creates a DoS that wasn't there before it may be important. But, as a general rule of thumb, local DoS is much less severe than other bugs, I fully agree.
> > An information leak from kernel space may be equally as mundane to some, > > though terrifying to some admins. Would you want some process to be > > leaking your root password, credit card #, etc to some other users process ? > > > > priveledge escalation is clearly the number one threat. Whilst some > > class 'remote root hole' higher risk than 'local root hole', far > > too often, we've had instances where execution of shellcode by > > overflowing some buffer in $crappyapp has led to a shell > > turning a local root into a remote root. > > I'd place information leaks and privilege escalations into their own class, > way above "yet another local DoS".
Yes, me too.
> A local privilege escalation hole should be viewed as seriously as a remote > privilege escalation hole, given the bugginess of userspace servers, yes?
Absolutely, yes. Local root hole all too often == remote root hole.
thanks, -chris -- Linux Security Modules http://lsm.immunix.org http://lsm.bkbits.net - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
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