Re: Re: Re: Re: Executing Root Commands from user level

Allowing Bob SUDO access to the box could be very very bad, if he truly is a problem. On the other hand, allowing Bob into the access group that can run the apache restart program via a suid bit, means that the only damage he can effectively do (besides erasing config files) is starting and stoping the web server; the rest of the box remains secure.

Either I miss somthing either you ignore that sudo can be configured to grant precise/limited access to some prog.

User_Alias  WEBMASTERS = user1, user2, user3
User_Alias  SYSADMINS  = user3, user2
User_Alias  DUMBUSERS  = user4

# User privilege specification
root    ALL=(ALL) ALL
WEBMASTERS      www = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/apachectl
SYSADMINS       wiz = NOPASSWD: /bin/wiz
DUMBUSERS       blah = NOPASSWD: /bin/blah
[download]

Here I allow user1,user2,user3 (WEBMASTERS's sudo group) to use apachectl
Here I allow user2,user3 (SYSADMINS's sudo group) to use the ueber-elite /bin/wiz command
Here I allow user4 (DUMBUSERS's sudo group) to use the /bin/blah (I really don't trust him ;-)

If an intruder compromise the user4 account he can't do more than executing /bin/blah.

Sudo offer tons of other features (ask for passwd, execute under other UID...).
You really should give it a try...

"Only Bad Coders Code Badly In Perl" (OBC2BIP)

Comment on Re: Re: Re: Re: Executing Root Commands from user level Download Code

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Re(5): Executing Root Commands from user level by FoxtrotUniform (Prior) on Jan 18, 2002 at 21:17 UTC
One of `sudo`'s features that I like best is its logging capability. Sure, it's easy enough to build user logging into an SUID script, but with `sudo` you don't have to; it's already there. No points for guessing which method will lead to more logging being done. `-- :wq`	[reply]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Executing Root Commands from user level by Masem (Monsignor) on Jan 18, 2002 at 21:31 UTC
Ok, I've seen versions of sudo (maybe thrown together for a specific system) that lack the fine grained control that the modern versions of sudo appear to have, and that turned me off to the use of sudo in favor of other fine-grained solutions. But you and I both have the same message: security (in general, and in this case) means to only allow specific cases to be accepted, instead of denying general cases, as it's more likely to find a hole in those general cases that will break your security than in the former case. So if the original poster does use sudo, make sure to set up the sudo table as arhuman as indicated to make sure only those that need to restart apache have the ability to do so , and only that ability. And this would require no extra special script or the like, just the line that is above in the sudo configuration file. ----------------------------------------------------- Dr. Michael K. Neylon - mneylon-pm@masemware.com \|\| "You've left the lens cap of your mind on again, Pinky" - The Brain "I can see my house from here!" It's not what you know, but knowing how to find it if you don't know that's important	[reply]