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On Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:10:27 +0100 |
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Lorenzo Bandieri <lorenzo.bandieri@×××××.com> wrote: |
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> > Then you must be using a single-user machine. Like your own laptop |
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> > or desktop. |
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> > |
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> > sudo is absolutely necessary on any multi-user machine unless you |
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> > like security holes. |
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> > |
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> > Instead of bashing sudo, it's better to find out what problem it is |
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> > designed to solve, then determine if you have that problem. It does |
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> > have a point, and a very valuable one too, you just seem to not have |
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> > seen it yet. |
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> |
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> Yes, Alan, you're right, I'm on a single-user machine. I apologize, I |
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> should have made it clear. |
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No worries :-) |
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> Indeed, I can see that in a multi-users |
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> machine sudo is useful. I just don't agree on the Ubuntu policy of |
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> using sudo instead of root by default, assuming that it provides more |
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> security. I don't want to start a flame war about sudo vs su, sorry if |
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> I sounded rough! |
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Well, it's worth discussing, as sudo on Ubuntu *does* improve security, |
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but you have to think a little about how first. |
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It's not IT security it provides, it's human security. As I mentioned |
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to Dale, it encourages people to think a little more about what they |
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are doing. It's not perfect, but nothing is. |
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Unix has always been very strong on initial authentication and rather |
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weak on authorization thereafter. If you can prove you know the root |
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password, you get the keys to the kingdom until the end of time |
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(defined as logout) - it's an all or nothing approach which obviously |
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cannot possibly fit RealLife. |
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sudo may or may not implement an authorization scheme that's suitable |
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for use, but the need for it is undeniable. It's easy to get |
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authorization completely wrong and go over the top, take SE-Linux. It's |
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very design and complexity encourages sysadmins to find ways to switch |
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it off! And they mostly do - with a single boot parameter in grub.... |
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-- |
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Alan McKinnnon |
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alan.mckinnon@×××××.com |