Local users get to play root?

[Peter Jones]

On 11/18/2009 04:10 PM, Casey Dahlin wrote:
> On 11/18/2009 03:06 PM, Peter Jones wrote:
>> On 11/18/2009 02:35 PM, Casey Dahlin wrote:
>>> On 11/18/2009 02:32 PM, Casey Dahlin wrote:
>>>> On 11/18/2009 01:19 PM, Konstantin Ryabitsev wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I may be wrong, but I understand that this behaviour of
>>>>> PackageKit only applies to users with direct console access
>>>>> (i.e. not remote shells). So, only users that are logged in
>>>>> via GDM or TTY would be able to perform such tasks.
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> That's a silly thing to imply we can control. Just because
>>>> firefox is running on a local console doesn't mean that a
>>>> vulnerability therein has not allowed it to be ultimately
>>>> controlled from elsewhere.
>>>> 
>>>> --CJD
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> Addendum: Why do you think sudo would ask an already-logged-in
>>> user for his password?
>> 
>> Because the config file says to.
>> 
> Good sort of answer when speaking about chickens and roads. A bit too
> existential for system administration though.

You've sortof missed my point here, which isn't a big surprise since I
left a lot of space to figure it out in.

root added your name to /etc/sudoers.  She might have put:

cjd ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL

but apparently instead she put:

cjd ALL=(ALL) ALL

If sudo is asking you for a password, it's because somebody intentionally
made a choice for it to do so, in the config file. It's not some kind of
accident. It's not some global policy because of a universal truth, as you
seem to think. It's a choice somebody made when they put your name in
there.

(Read what you will as to how this is relevant to our current predicament.)

-- 
        Peter

Computers don't make errors.  What they do, they do on purpose.
		-- Dale