Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Tue, 26 Jul 2005 19:18:46 -0400
From:      Michael Beattie <mtbeedee@gmail.com>
To:        Lane <lane@joeandlane.com>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: cat /dev/urandom
Message-ID:  <d4b4435a050726161858d838a@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <200507261807.23024.lane@joeandlane.com>
References:  <20050726183029.M97284@neptune.atopia.net> <d4b4435a050726153552b7de7@mail.gmail.com> <200507261807.23024.lane@joeandlane.com>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
`cat /dev/urandom` will do just that... it's not also going to run
code from within that output.

On 7/26/05, Lane <lane@joeandlane.com> wrote:
> On Tuesday 26 July 2005 17:35, Michael Beattie wrote:
> > On 7/26/05, Matt Juszczak <matt@atopia.net> wrote:
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > Quick question.
> > >
> > > shell# cat /dev/urandom
> > >
> > > can that executed as root cause any harm to the system?  What if a ra=
ndom
> > > sequence of `rm *` was generated... would it be executed?
> > >
> > > I tried that to fix my terminal and forgot it might cause damage as r=
oot,
> > > even if its just being cat'd to the screen.  I thought I saw some fil=
es
> > > fly by which would indicate an execution of `ls`....
> > >
> > > Just curious....
> >
> > If you had a file with an rm * in it and you cat'd it would it execute?
> > _______________________________________________
> That's a good answer, but what if the command was:
>=20
> `cat /dev/urandom`
>=20
> could /dev/urandom generate arbitrary and potentially executable code?
>=20
> I'm curious, too
>=20
> lane
> _______________________________________________
> freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list
> http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions
> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.o=
rg"
>



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?d4b4435a050726161858d838a>