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Date:      Sun, 9 Nov 1997 22:35:55 -0500
From:      Mark Mayo <mark@vmunix.com>
To:        Julian Elischer <julian@whistle.com>
Cc:        hackers@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: How useful is this patch?
Message-ID:  <19971109223555.49470@vmunix.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.95.971109170848.5649B-100000@current1.whistle.com>; from Julian Elischer on Sun, Nov 09, 1997 at 05:23:10PM -0800
References:  <199711092315.PAA27471@implode.root.com> <Pine.BSF.3.95.971109170848.5649B-100000@current1.whistle.com>

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On Sun, Nov 09, 1997 at 05:23:10PM -0800, Julian Elischer wrote:
> of course,
> but who said that you have to enable it in you HOME directory?
> We want to do this in users 'dropbox' directories
> which is not the same as their ho,e directories.
> without it there is a never-ending set of complaints about
> permissions, and the admin spends a lot of time removing files for users.
> As is indicated.. this is implemented as a mount option (default off)
> and the directory in question must have the bit set..
> it isn't likely to happen by accident.
> We can keep it as a WHISTLE-ONLY mod here, but I thought
> I'd see if anyone else wants it..
> I'd rather have it in the general sources than proprietary,
> but That's a decision that's beyond me to make..
> (i.e. yours).

Personally, I think it would be very useful. It's a situation typical in
SMB/Appletalk environments... As long as it's off by default, I don't
see a problem. These servers tend to be non-typical Unix boxes anyhow,
where users generally don't log in -- they're just using it as a file
server. Hell, prevent logins all together - that's what NT basically
does (no executable content on the server, just files and printers..).

Of course, what we're really looking for here are ACLs.. 

-Mark

> 
> 
> On Sun, 9 Nov 1997, David Greenman wrote:
> 
> > >As Julian Elischer wrote:
> > >
> > >> if a mount option is specified, then setting the SUID bit
> > >> on a directory specifies similar inheritance with UIDS as we 
> > >> presently have with GIDs.
> > >
> > >As long as it's a mount option (defaulting to off), i think i could
> > >live with it.
> > >
> > >> The SUID bits are hereditary to child directories, and
> > >> a file 'given away' in this manner 
> > >>   1/ cannot be give n to root (would defeat quotas)
> > >>   2/ has the execute bits stripped off (and suid)
> > >
> > >Problem: you can cause someone else a DoS attack by maliciously
> > >filling his home directory.
> 
> It doesn't make any differnce about who can write to the directory.
> it just changes who OWNS it. 
> the previous behaviour is more of a DOS attack because
> the user may not be able to DELETE things that are owned by others.
> 
> The user can now just delete it.
> 
> > >
> > >(I didn't review the patch itself, so i explicitly don't comment on
> > >stylistic etc. bugs.  Make sure the style adhers to the requirements
> > >of style(9).)
> > 
> >    You could also create a .rhosts file, allowing anyone to log in as the
> > user. You could also create a variety of other files like .tcshrc if it
> > didn't already exist and the user's shell was tcsh (and similar other login
> > scripts with other shells), or various X resource files if the user might
> > start X apps. The list goes on and on. I think it sounds like a major
> > security hole for just about anyone who enables it.
> How many of these check the owner now?
> .rhosts is a security hole anyhow,
> and in any case I think that doing this on a home directory would be
> foolish.
> 
> it doesn't change who CAN write, just who ends up owning the file..
> I certainly don't think it should be default anywhere. We want it for the
> thousands of 
> 'unwitting' FreeBSD users we have, using it through SAMBA and Netatalk.
> 
> julian
> > 
> > -DG
> > 
> > David Greenman
> > Core-team/Principal Architect, The FreeBSD Project
> > 

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Mark Mayo		  				mark@vmunix.com       
 RingZero Comp.  	  		    http://www.vmunix.com/mark 

	 finger mark@vmunix.com for my PGP key and GCS code
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Win95/NT - 32 bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to
an an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor,
written by a 2 bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition.  -UGU



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