Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 22:20:52 +0000 From: Colman Reilly <careilly@monoid.cs.tcd.ie> To: Richard Wackerbarth <rkw@dataplex.net> Cc: config@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: WebAdmin Message-ID: <199802032220.WAA16835@monoid.cs.tcd.ie> In-Reply-To: Message from Richard Wackerbarth dated today at 10:45.
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
At 9:42 AM -0600 2/3/98, Colman Reilly wrote:
> the databases useable and stable.
>Sure. Now remember we have to assume that people will be attempting to
>exploit the admin system as a security hole. We can't trust any state com
ing
>from a HTTP connection.
>Look at Mike Smiths juliet stuff. Look at my thoughts on Portia/security
>stuff.
My only objection to his design is that it is a little too specific.
I think that ALL the "back end" modules should appear monolithic and
recursively defined. For example, although the password file is organized
as a list of records each having fixed entries, it can be modeled as
a two level tree. The top level entries are tagged by the <user> name.
Within each of those nodes there are entries tagged by <uid>, <gid>,
<Full User Name>, <shell>, etc.
That's an objection to his implementation, not his design. It depends on
the maturity of the sub-system really. For password I agree, but for some
faster moving targets the more "black-box" approach might be better. In an
ideal world you're right.
>Look at the mail archives on this topic.
Which archives? I cannot find one for "config".
Most of the stuff has actually been discussed on hackers as far as I
can see. :-)
>I'd really like to see people cooperating on this with a well thought out
>structure rather than see three sets of people head out into space.
Me, too.
But doesn't that break the "FreeBSD model" of "implement before you
discuss the design?" :-)
Oh. I'm sorry. I'm doing research in formal methods and mathematical modeling
of software. I get carried away with this design business occasionally.
Colman
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199802032220.WAA16835>