Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 08:17:43 +0100 From: Matthew Seaman <m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk> To: John Chang <johnec@umich.edu> Cc: FreeBSD LIST <FreeBSD-Questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: XFree86 Message-ID: <20020903071743.GA20142@happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophi> In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20020902185316.0197ca98@j.imap.itd.umich.edu> References: <20020901151838.U37627-100000@earl-grey.cloud9.net> <5.1.0.14.2.20020902185316.0197ca98@j.imap.itd.umich.edu>
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On Mon, Sep 02, 2002 at 06:55:12PM -0400, John Chang wrote:
> Is it bad practice (security-wise and performance) to run a GUI like
> Xfree86 when doing some administration? Or should everything be done in
> command-line and not install it? Thank you
In general, best practice is to avoid logging in as root where
possible, and certainly not to run complicated desktops or windowing
environments as root. The canonical rule is "don't do things as root
that you can do as an ordinary unprivileged user".
Using 'su' or 'sudo' or 'op' or the like to use root privileges in an
xterm is acceptable. Running X applications as root on the local
machine is probably OK --- so long as you exercise a bit of common
sense about what you run.
Running X applications as root on a remote server and displaying
locally through the usual X mechanisms is as open to network snooping
as, say, a telnet session as root. Not a good idea at all. Always
use ssh's X tunnelling feature in this situation.
If you have dedicated server machines, it's common practice not to run
a local X server, or in many cases not to install X windows at all:
why waste precious CPU cycles and disk space away from the server's
primary purpose?
Cheers,
Matthew
--
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 26 The Paddocks
Savill Way
Marlow
Tel: +44 1628 476614 Bucks., SL7 1TH UK
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