Re: Capabilities

From: Linda Walsh (law@sgi.com)
Date: Tue Feb 22 2000 - 11:43:09 EST


Andreas Gruenbacher wrote:
> > Either your installation is compatible with a trust kernel or it's not.
> > And if it is, then by booting up in non-trusted mode you leave a small
> > window where the system is at risk. And hence switching to trusted mode
> > would be meaningless.

---
	Just a data point, but when I have trusted IRIX installed,
there is no booting up in non-trusted mode.  Capabilities are in 
effect even in single-user.  To get non-trusted, I'd have to boot from
some other media.  If I wanted to secure that, I'd have to remove the
floppy and CDROM and not allow network boots.  I put a lock on the box
to the table and lock the cover closed (most seem to have that option).

Now I've secured that computer pretty much as I can -- yes, someone can come in with a crow-bar, but -- well, people can use explosives to get into a bank vault too.

It appears (I just installed "TRIX" for the first time only recently), that when you install the TRIX security option on top of a standard system, one of the things it does is set the capabilities for a bunch of system files -- which ones are trusted and which not, etc. Once you reboot, your basic CAPs are set and enforced when the new kernel comes up. Pretty spiffy!

-linda

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