Re: [PATCH] Define CAP_SYSLOG

From: Serge E. Hallyn
Date: Sun Mar 14 2010 - 00:35:44 EST


Quoting Michael Kerrisk (mtk.manpages@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx):
> > There is one downside to this patch:  If some site or distro currently
> > has syslogd/whatever running as a non-root user with cap_sys_admin+pe,
> > then it will need to be changed to run with cap_syslog+pe.  I don't
> > know if there are such sites, or if that concern means we should take
> > a different approach to introducing this change, or simply refuse this
> > change.
>
> *If* this is a problem, would the way to address it not be to permit
> syslog if the caller has *either* CAP_SYS_ADMIN or CAP_SYSLOG? (The
> only weakness I see in this idea is that it fails to lighten the
> hugely overlaoded CAP_SYS_ADMIN.)

Which becomes a very big weakness because it won't allow a
container to be started with cap_sys_admin but not cap_syslog
in its capability bounding set.

So, if it is deemed a problem, then the alternative will be to
introduce a syslog namespace. Container setup can then create
a new syslog namespace, and can no longer read or clear the
host's syslog.

thanks,
-serge
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