Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

From: Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com>
To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Re: sudo in kernel config ?
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:47:45
Message-Id: 4C8BF8DB.7030502@gmail.com
In Reply to: [gentoo-user] Re: sudo in kernel config ? by Nikos Chantziaras
1 Nikos Chantziaras wrote:
2 > On 09/11/2010 11:49 PM, Dale wrote:
3 >> Nikos Chantziaras wrote:
4 >>> On 09/11/2010 11:35 PM, Dale wrote:
5 >>>> Alan McKinnon wrote:
6 >>>>> Apparently, though unproven, at 11:46 on Saturday 11 September 2010,
7 >>>>> Albert
8 >>>>> Hopkins did opine thusly:
9 >>>>>
10 >>>>>> On Sat, 2010-09-11 at 10:24 +0200, Stéphane Guedon wrote:
11 >>>>>>> few months ago, I read linux kernel in a nutschell(sic), and the
12 >>>>>>> author
13 >>>>>>> wrote we shouldn't do kernel operations (config and build) as root.
14 >>>>>> I call bullsh*t. I've been compiling kernels for 17 years and for
15 >>>>>> the
16 >>>>>> most part have done it as root without any problems.
17 >>>>> Same here.
18 >>>>>
19 >>>>> The root user (sometimes portage) creates /usr/src/linux-*
20 >>>>>
21 >>>>> Someone tell me again exactly how user alan is supposed to build
22 >>>>> those
23 >>>>> sources?
24 >>>>>
25 >>>>
26 >>>> If they are accessible by a user, couldn't a user then edit or add
27 >>>> something that would then cause a security problem? If they can edit
28 >>>> them and no one know it, then root comes along and builds a shiney new
29 >>>> kernel with a really nice security hole.
30 >>>>
31 >>>> Glad only root can get to the sources. ;-)
32 >>>
33 >>> No, any user can't edit them; only the user you assign the files to.
34 >>> If you assign them to root, only root can edit them. If you assign
35 >>> them to kerneluser, only kerneluser can edit them.
36 >>>
37 >>> This is Unix 101 :)
38 >>>
39 >>>
40 >>
41 >> My point was, if the sources are say in the user group, then any user
42 >> can edit them? Right now, they are in the root group and owned my root
43 >> which for security reasons is a good idea. That way a regular user can't
44 >> edit or modify the kernel sources.
45 >
46 > The group can only write if the files have the group write permission
47 > set. Still in Unix 101 domain, hehe :)
48 >
49
50 I know that. Why would a person want anyone BUT root to be able to
51 access and change the kernel sources? Lets see if asking it this way
52 makes more sense. lol
53
54 Dale
55
56 :-) :-)

Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: sudo in kernel config ? Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@×××××.com>