Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2001 16:26:03 -0500 From: "Cameron Haegle" <chaegle@mediaone.net> To: "Lars Fredriksen" <lars@odin-corporation.com>, <bv@wjv.com> Cc: <freebsd-net@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: Securing the root account Message-ID: <00e601c0f906$7b6c29a0$420fbf8f@hlc02> References: <008f01c0f8e5$fdca32a0$420fbf8f@hlc02> <20010619142141.C20724@wjv.com> <3B2FA0EE.11BB33B@odin-corporation.com>
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I want to thank everyone for their input on this issue. I will take everyone's input into serious consideration, before I fo forward. Thanks..... Cam ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lars Fredriksen" <lars@odin-corporation.com> To: <bv@wjv.com> Cc: "Cameron Haegle" <chaegle@mediaone.net>; <freebsd-net@FreeBSD.ORG> Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 1:58 PM Subject: Re: Securing the root account > Very well put! > > Lars > Bill Vermillion wrote: > > > On Tue, Jun 19, 2001 at 12:33:44PM -0500, Cameron Haegle thus > > sprach: > > > > > I come from the Windoze side of the playground, where you are able > > > to rename the Administrator account name, in order to provide a > > > bit more security. > > > > > Can a similar thing be done with FreeBSD? > > > > You could, but what you are proposing is the classic 'Security > > through obsurity model'. That never works. > > > > Root is a traditional account name since 1969, but it also maps to > > user ID 0 as someone else mentioned. Every system requires > > a user ID 0 no matter whether it is root, larry, manny or moe. > > > > Make sure that no one can log in as root anywhere except at the > > console. You can even elminate root login at the console if your > > system is not in a 10000% secure location :-) > > > > Then the only memember who can use root are those you put in the > > 'wheel' group. > > > > Let's get back to UID 0 for a moment. If anyone can get into that > > machine, even if they don't have the ability to become super user, > > and you have named your root account mxtylplx, then anyone on that > > machine will know that is the admin account by listing any > > directory in which used ID 0 has a file it owns. > > > > Don't putz around with security 'ideas'. Do security in the right > > manner. Limit the wheel account users. Make sure they keep their > > login password secure, and keep the root password secure. > > > > Get rid of all telnet account and put in SSH so that no clear text > > passwords ever cross the net. That's just a small step on the > > way, to locking down a system, but just changing login names won't > > do it. > > > > Bill > > > > -- > > Bill Vermillion - bv @ wjv . com > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > > with "unsubscribe freebsd-net" in the body of the message > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-net" in the body of the message
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