Linux: security through obscurity? [LWN.net]

Linux: security through obscurity?

Posted Nov 5, 2004 10:06 UTC (Fri) by dps (subscriber, #5725)
Parent article: Linux: security through obscurity?

Linux does win *some* security thorugh obsucrity. However most of the lack of worm I think is something else, with the most proninent being

1. There is no easy way of executing an attatchment within any MUA I
am aware of those. At least 99% of the people that can bypass this
problem are smart enough not to do it.

2. My normal user identity, which is all a email worm is likely to get,
does not have write permission to the system binaries, boot scripts
and other things commonly targeted by windows virii and worms.

Similar remarks apply to web browsers, which simply lack priledge and
the misdesign of IE, for malware to apply. Multiuser systems in general
are not plagued by worms for similar reasons. although NT is getting some
attention because enough people routinely use administator (the windows
NT superuser).

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Linux: security through obscurity?

Posted Nov 5, 2004 15:32 UTC (Fri) by jaclu (guest, #7280) [Link]

>2. My normal user identity, which is all a email worm is likely to get,
>does not have write permission to the system binaries, boot scripts
>and other things commonly targeted by windows virii and worms.

Simply not true.

If I could get Joe User to run a malware, it could install itself to be
run from .bashrc or similar each time user logs in, and by binding to a high port a listening daemon could be started without root privs.

Since he propably will login when he starts his system, the evil-daemon will be started, then it runs until machine is shutdown regardles if user is stil logged in.

So if you can get your malware to be run with or without userintervention, a daemon can an will be installed.

Linux: security through obscurity?

Posted Nov 5, 2004 16:59 UTC (Fri) by oak (subscriber, #2786) [Link]

yes, and then the user daemon can output somewhere in the net system
information and fetch back a root exploit specific to that version of
kernel etc. Or listen to requests from network to test latest root
exploits until one is found that gains the root rights...