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Date:      Sat, 26 Feb 2000 16:18:13 +0300
From:      "A. Rakukin" <rakukin@mail.ru>
To:        "Brian Somers" <brian@Awfulhak.org>
Cc:        "Matthew Dillon" <dillon@apollo.backplane.com>, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org, freebsd-security@FreeBSD.org, brian@hak.lan.Awfulhak.org
Subject:   Re[2]: X authorization 
Message-ID:  <E12Oh6r-000Epu-00@f1.mail.ru>

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-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Somers <brian@Awfulhak.org>
To: Matthew Dillon <dillon@apollo.backplane.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 21:59:59 +0000
Subject: Re: X authorization 

> > 
> > :Hi to all,
> > :
> > :Would be grateful for help or explanation. I used to think that by default
> > :nobody can run anything on my display. But now I revealed that it is enough
> > :to export DISPLAY on remote host to access my xserver. 'xhost' on the server
> > :(that has been accessed) says that 
> > :
> > :access control enabled, only authorized clients can connect
> > :
> > :and nothing more. What is the possible source of the problem?
> > :I have not customized any authorization mechanisms...
> > :I run FreeBSD 3.4.
> > :
> > :Thank you,
> > :Alex
> > 
> >     I'll bet you are using ssh.

sshd is not running on the host which has been accessed...
I am aware of the X-connections forwarding ability of ssh,
but it is not the case...

> > 
> >     Your assumptions as to 'xhost' are correct.  Just setting DISPLAY on
> >     machine B to point to machine A will not give machine B access to 
> >     machine A's X display.  Machine A must give machine B access, typically
> >     through the 'xhost' command.
> 
> I wouldn't say ``typically''.  Using xhost is bad as it gives anybody 
> on the given host access to your display.  Xauth is the correct way 
> to do it.  It stuffs an authentication key in the .Xauthority file 
> allowing access only to people with access to the .Xauthority file.  
> Check the xauth man page for the magic incantation.

I know that xhost is insecure. But it worked earlier!
And now I have a situation as follows: I merely start X (via xdm) on host A, 
no windows/commands there, then go to host B, 
type `export DISPLAY=A:0; xterm' and see xterm window 
opened on the display of A! Then test `xhost' on A and see no hosts allowed...

I think something has been changed in the configuration casually,
and would be grateful for any advice what might it be.
I loked through Xsessions etc, but have not found anything,
unfortunately...

> 
> >     However, some programs will tunnel X sessions automatically.  ssh is
> >     one of these.  If you are sitting on machine A and you ssh to machine B,
> >     you will then be able to run X binaries on machine B and have them show
> >     up on machine A's display.  The X protocol will run through the 
> >     'secure' ssh session. 
> > 
> >     I don't know many people who do this, at least not between two local
> >     machines sitting on the same LAN, because running an X client through
> >     an encrypted ssh session tends to really slow down the client.
> 
> *shrug* I do it all the time for convenience.  sshd is on just about 
> every machine I use, whereas the alternative of mucking about with 
> xon, rstart or some locally brewed version is a pain.  Besides, CPUs 
> these days can easily encrypt stuff faster than your standard 10mbit 
> network can transport them.

In any case, I would like to forbid unauthorized access at first!

> 
> > 					-Matt
> > 					Matthew Dillon 
> > 					<dillon@backplane.com>
> 
> 
> 
> 

Thanks to all,
Alex


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