Messages in this thread | | | Date | Tue, 17 Aug 1999 12:18:40 -0400 (EDT) | From | Aaron Sethman <> | Subject | Re: Disabling module loading with a module? |
| |
On Tue, 17 Aug 1999, Ben Collins wrote: > I personally don't use modules to avoid this altogether, but I might > consider it if I could "lock" them out after reboot. Another alternative > could be to require some sort of secure method for loading modules, other > than just having uid 0. For example a kernel key/id system with a > passphrase. This is all completely complicated to develop (and maybe > overkill for most users), but it's an option.
If you wanted to disable the ablity for someone to load a new kernel on a system, have the system boot off of a physically read only media, like a write protected floppy disk. Also one might want to get out the tool kit and disable flashing the ROM BIOS. Yet another point is to disable any ability to fiddle with the CMOS(nvram..or whatever you care to call it). Also if they really, really wanted to cause problems they could setup some program that gets run at boot to fondle /dev/kmem.
As for the idea of a kernel/key id system for loading modules who is to say that if they have root access they couldn't just watch and see what the authentication scheme does and repeat it for there evil module.
Then again if the system has been compromised then there is no real way to tell if a backdoor has been put in vital system executables like /sbin/init or /bin/sh. Unless of course...you have all of these goodies stored on physically read-only media.
It would be interesting to find out if somebody is running a system with all executables on read-only media and only data files and the like on read-write media.
Aaron Sethman Programmer / System Administrator The Open Domain Server -- http://www.ods.org/
- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
| |