4 ms·
Anyone who can load a kernel module can do _whatever they want_. That was my point, which you've obviously missed.
by muppetman 15y ago
Anyone who can load a kernel module can do _whatever they want_. That was my point, which you've obviously missed.
- KonradKlause 15y agoAnd you are obviously missing that modern operating systems have more than just one user. :-)
- muppetman 15y agoI'm genuinely interested - what do you mean? It's my understanding (and please, correct me if I'm wrong) that if you're able to insmod a non-standard kernel module into a linux system, you are root already. I don't understand what this has to do with unix being multi-user, only root has the ability to insmod /tmp/haha.ko Please note I'm not talking about the ability of the kernel to automatically load modules as required. That's only from the /lib/modules path and you need to be root have to inserted a module in there anyway. And if you have that ability, worrying about the security of a module such as this seems, to me, totally and utterly pointless, because you could be inserting a rootkit, or a module that randomly deletes a file every time you press the letter A etc. So could you explain what you mean please? Why be concerned about security when security is already compromised? How does it being multi-user make a difference?
- KonradKlause 15y agoSure. Suppose your admin is a funny guy and loads this kernel module at April 1st. I (Jonny non-root user) can no longer listen to my favorite mp3, because the kernel module changes the path all the time. The admin loughs and has fun. But then later I call open() with some fancy arguments and take over the whole machine (or at least crash it). This is the part where I lough.
- muppetman 15y agoAhhh right, yes, Ok, I see what you mean. If you loaded this on a serious system, you're insane. But right, I see your point.