From owner-freebsd-hackers  Fri Dec 29 22:51:36 1995
Return-Path: owner-hackers
Received: (from root@localhost)
          by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.3/8.7.3) id WAA03339
          for hackers-outgoing; Fri, 29 Dec 1995 22:51:36 -0800 (PST)
Received: from toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu (toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu [128.120.56.188])
          by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.3/8.7.3) with SMTP id WAA03334
          Fri, 29 Dec 1995 22:51:33 -0800 (PST)
Received: by toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu (4.1/UCD.CS.2.6)
	id AA10608; Fri, 29 Dec 95 22:51:31 PST
From: obrien@cs.ucdavis.edu (David E. O'Brien)
Message-Id: <9512300651.AA10608@toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu>
Subject: termcap access as user uucp
To: freebsd-security@freebsd.org,
        freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org (FreeBSD Hacker's list)
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 1995 22:51:30 -0800 (PST)
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL24 PGP3ALPHA]
Content-Type: text
Sender: owner-hackers@freebsd.org
Precedence: bulk

I'm doing a port of a terminal program to FreeBSD.  The orignal author
installs it setuid root.  I don't care for this.  Following /usr/bin/cu's
lead, I make it setuid uucp.  Problem is the program can't access the
termcap database as this user.  Does it have something to do with uucp
not having a "normal" shell?

Security minded people:  opinions on the best arraingment for security?
Others:  What's wrong with Mr. UUCP?

Below is a minimal program to demonstrate this.  Make it setuid root ==>
no problem.  Make it non-setuid, owned by joe user ==> no problem.  Make
it setuid uucp and you get:

No termcap present! 

Test program
~~~~~~~~~~~~
#include <stdio.h>
#include <termcap.h>

main()
{

    static char cbuf[2048];
    char *term = "xterm";

    switch(tgetent(cbuf, term )) {
        case 0:
                fprintf(stderr, "No termcap entry for %s\n", term);
                return 1;
        case -1:
                fprintf(stderr, "No termcap present!\n");
                return 1;
        default:                                             
                printf( "\n%s\n", cbuf );
    }

  return 0;
}