Messages in this thread | | | Date | Sat, 3 Apr 1999 13:43:13 +1000 | From | Richard Gooch <> | Subject | Re: Subject: Re: ext3 to include capabilities? |
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unknown@riverstyx.net writes: > It's not really just about editing the password file though, is it? > After all, if I have write access to all of root's other files, I can just > make a cron job that dumps in an extra user to /etc/passwd, or any number > of other possibilities... adding a capability for filesystem access to > root's files would likely be more useful than just CAP_EDIT_PASSWD. > > On Sat, 3 Apr 1999, Richard Gooch wrote: > > > Meelis Roos writes: > > > ADC> if(setuid){ > > > ADC> if(root_owned && cap_header) use_cap_header(); > > > ADC> else use_setuid_bit(); > > > ADC> } > > > > > > But here root is still special. Somebody who has the permissions to > > > create users may create a root user or change root's password and thus > > > gain access to root and then to everything? > > > > The capability to create users is the capability to edit /etc/passwd. > > That implies being able to create root users. This has nothing to do > > with Albert's scheme. > > > > A correct administration tool which has CAP_EDIT_PASSWD will prevent > > creating root users unless CAP_GOD is set.
But my point is that the (privileged) security tools that allow an operator to create users should prevent the operating from creating root users. So it's a user space problem. It's completely orthogonal from Albert's proposal.
Regards,
Richard....
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