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SubjectRe: Capabilities
"Albert D. Cahalan" wrote:
>
> Jesse Pollard writes:
>
> > Now in the case of XFree86 - It shouldn't have privileges,
> > but does due to its' historical implementation. With the advent
> > of frame buffer based servers, it will loose the setuid capability.
> > As far as MLS goes, it is necessary to establish the users security
> > profile before the X server may be operated.
>
> I think I know what you mean. IRIX does this AFAIK, and it sucks.

You're just a little bit out of date. Trix4.0.5 (evaluated @ B1 in 1995)
did it that way. On the other hand, Trix4.0.5 had a superuser, too.

> Users log in at one security level. The whole X server runs at
> this one level. If you need to operate at two levels, you have
> to log out and log back in again at another level.

Right unpleasant it was, too.

On the other hand, it turns out that in most real cases where the
strong seperation of Mandatory Access Control is used, only the
lowly, underpaid, long suffering sysadmins ever need windows at
multiple levels.

> This is totally user-hostile, so it won't be used very much.

The back of the official Trix T-shirt of the time had two dinosaurs,
one purple and friendly, the other with blood dripping from it's claws.
The first was labeled "Irix", the second, "T. Irix".

> The X server and window manager must be trusted software.

This is a demostratably false assertion. I certainly agree that
a Multilevel secure server is easier to use. However, Trix4.0.5
was evaluated at B1 with a vanilla X server, GL support, a Superuser,
no ACLs, and a network.

> This is what Trusted Solaris claims to do. Windows get marked
> with security data. Cut-and-paste is controlled.

Yup, that's their unsubstantiated claim. Now, SecureWare and DEC
both evaluated systems supporting Multilevel X servers. Trix 6.5,
the current version, supports Multilevel X. We may choose not to
evaluate it for schedule reasons, but we'd like to.

--

Casey Schaufler Manager, Trust Technology, SGI
casey@sgi.com voice: (650) 933-1634

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