Re: caps in elf headers: use the sticky bit!

Horst von Brand (vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl)
Mon, 12 Apr 1999 11:35:12 -0400

Al Lipscomb <arl@q7.net> said:
> Putting caps in the file system allows you to set programs to whatever
> caps you want, but what about granting a user special caps? For
> example you have an account that you want to be able to read any file in
> order to perform backups. You do not want to bless tar, cpio etc. You want
> the processes the user runs to have the power, no matter what they are.

Users don't have capabilities. What you hint at is the Unix tradition of
powerful (i.e., root) users. Capabilities don't work that way: There are
trusted programs that do whatever check they deem necesary and do certain
things that need enhanced privileges. Anybody (barring traditional Unix x
bits) can run them, if/what they do is up to them.

-- 
Dr. Horst H. von Brand                       mailto:vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl
Departamento de Informatica                     Fono: +56 32 654431
Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria              +56 32 654239
Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile                Fax:  +56 32 797513




-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/