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Date:      Fri, 24 Mar 2000 02:33:30 +0100
From:      Olaf Hoyer <ohoyer@fbwi.fh-wilhelmshaven.de>
To:        advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: New article
Message-ID:  <4.1.20000324022914.00cbed30@mail.rz.fh-wilhelmshaven.de>
In-Reply-To: <38DAB25B.E2BBC400@newsguy.com>
References:  <200003231326.IAA24776@blackhelicopters.org> <38DA7A60.B7C23121@newsguy.com> <38DA950C.D4DCE9CC@softweyr.com>

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>> > Legacy hardware will still need to be hand configured (though not
>> > necessarily built in the kernel), and some kernel options are probably
>> > unavoidable.
>> 
>> But could potentially be configured through a loader script, rather
>> than compiled into the kernel.

Hi!

Question: Is a loadable kernel module not a potential security risk?

I mean, if some module (which runs on a deeper, priviliged mode) has some
malicous code in it, or simply is buggy, and is loaded during runtime, it
could cause a box to simply crash.

Imagine some attacker exchanging some kernel module against own code, and
causing that module to be loaded (say, some driver for access to certain
filesystems, or zip drive etc...), or waiting for the module to be loaded
(say, for regular, scheduled activities like backups or batch jobs or so)

Wouldn't it be safer, from a technical point of  view, to allow as less
than possible kernel modules, thus enhancing stability and uptime?

Regards
Olaf Hoyer
--------
Olaf Hoyer	 www.nightfire.de                mailto:Olaf.Hoyer@nightfire.de
FreeBSD- Turning PC's into workstations   ICQ:22838075

Liebe und Hass sind nicht blind, aber geblendet vom Feuer,
dass sie selber mit sich tragen. (Nietzsche)


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