.desktop files and security [LWN.net]

.desktop files and security

Posted Apr 7, 2006 3:41 UTC (Fri) by th0ma7 (subscriber, #24698)
Parent article: .desktop files and security

We have plenty of 24/7 production linux workstations at my job and let me say that casual users really only want to click on a easy to understand icon... The extension/security is something that our users really dont want to get involved with... they only want to get their job done.

I don't get coments like:
The ability for a program to present any icon to the user IS definitely a problem;

The ability for a user to use a program is to activate it in an easy manner... and this is, by far has I know, almost everytime represented by an icon on a GUI... unless we go back to a console using vim?

(Log in to post comments)

ease of use vs. security

Posted Apr 7, 2006 15:34 UTC (Fri) by dank (guest, #1865) [Link]

th0ma7, the problem is that malware can easily
create or modify icons. It might not be a
problem for you now, but this is a security
issue worth looking at carefully.

Security Risks and Human Nature

Posted Apr 7, 2006 19:19 UTC (Fri) by smoogen (subscriber, #97) [Link]

In the end, there are always trade-offs between security and usability... and trying to figure out where you havent just loaded your double barrel shotgun and aimed it at your crotch can be a lot harder for people because humans have myopic vision of wanting to get stuff done.

Humans also have horrible risk assessment skills. Many of us verge on climbing into the hole and welding it shut, and an equal many do not see the risks until after they have 'survived and gotten stronger, or didnt survive and doesnt matter'.

Trying to figure out the middle ground is the hard problem that we have to realize that people on both sides arent going to be happy with.

Security Risks and Human Nature

Posted Apr 10, 2006 19:04 UTC (Mon) by jmorris42 (subscriber, #2203) [Link]

> In the end, there are always trade-offs between security and usability...

Granted. But this one is simple to decide as soon as it is described. We have a file that can appear as anything it wishes to inside the graphical environment as both the icon and caption text being totally decided by the .desktop file itself, while the user has little or no way to discover what it will do when activated other than actually activating it or dropping to a command line and invoking less on it. But it can do absolutely anything it wants with the full execution rights of the user without requiring any privleges other than to be readable. So just what is the point of retaining the execute bit in file systems if this stands?