On Fri, 21 Jul 2000 bodnar42@bodnar42.dhs.org wrote:
>> 1) You can do inb/outb access from userland. If you're root, you don't
>> need any ioctl to issue a command that'd violate the ATA
>> specification to the drive.
>Notice I said if it provides access to a resource at A PROTOCOL
>LEVEL. inb/outb should not be protected, because this is direct access,
>below the protocol level
This is a very good point as well. Following the ethernet
comparison a bit further... An FTP program should not be able to
generate raw TCP packets or ethernet frames at that low
level. FTP sends data to the TCP layer, and should not be able
to send random bits to the raw interface using standard TCP level
services. I think this is a good comparison of what something is
designed for and what it can be used for. If an interface can be
misused, it should be fixed.
The fact that lower level interfaces could be used to acheive the
same result is completely irrelevant IMHO.
>> So your fix doesn't help against mailicous software (trojan horses,
>> whatever).
>I don't know about Andre, but I think this should be done for
>correctness.
I agree completely. In userland it is called "dummy proofing".
>> So why all the screaming and shouting?
>>
>I'm not sure, in retrospect I think Andre should have just a patch right
>to Linus without any discussion ;)
I agree with that also. Too often people post something cut and
dried and get dogged for it. I recall someone in the past
saying: The easiest way of getting a patch to the linux kernel
refused, is to post it to linux-kernel for inclusion.
100% right on target.
-- Mike A. Harris Linux advocate Computer Consultant GNU advocate Capslock Consulting Open Source advocate... Our continuing mission: To seek out knowledge of C, to explore strange UNIX commands, and to boldly code where no one has man page 4.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Jul 23 2000 - 21:00:15 EST