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Date:      Mon, 10 Feb 2003 09:59:45 -0600
From:      Kim Scarborough <sluggo@unknown.nu>
To:        Doug Barton <DougB@FreeBSD.org>
Cc:        ports@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: Problems with new port
Message-ID:  <3E47CC71.3090709@unknown.nu>
In-Reply-To: <20030209213008.O866@12-234-22-23.pyvrag.nggov.pbz>
References:  <3E46E0E3.7030708@unknown.nu> <20030210014400.GM6740@vectors.cx> <3E472244.4040004@unknown.nu> <20030209213008.O866@12-234-22-23.pyvrag.nggov.pbz>

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> What security problems are you trying to solve by creating a new user, and
> why do you think user nobody isn't a good solution for them?

If every miscellaneous server runs under ID "nobody", then if there's a hole 
in any one of them, all the rest are vulnerable. Segregating each server to 
its own UID limits potential damage. Also, having nobody-owned files is 
anathema to most sysadmins (yes, I know nobody owns the locate db, but I also 
hear complaints about that quite often), and this port creates some files 
under the daemon UID.

I thought this was all conventional wisdom... isn't this why apache, bind, 
sendmail, and sshd all have their own unique unprivileged users?

-- 
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Kim Scarborough                                  http://www.unknown.nu/kim/
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"I know of no man I despise more than Shakespeare; it would be positively a
relief to my mind to dig him up and throw stones at him."
                                                       - George Bernard Shaw
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