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GNOME 3.4 releasedGNOME 3.4 releasedPosted Mar 29, 2012 15:52 UTC (Thu) by dgm (subscriber, #49227)In reply to: GNOME 3.4 released by imgx64 Parent article: GNOME 3.4 released
> So, is there a way, when I sit on a computer, to know that I'm entering my password in XDM and not in some other program a malicious user ran?
Well, let's go bit by bit.
1. Ctrl-Alt-Del is only a relatively safe. The code that handles it is secure only because it belongs to the Windows kernel, but it resides in a file on the filesystem, and in memory addressable by code running in ring-0. So any exploit that gives you write permissions for that file, or ability to run ring-0 code (install a driver) can allow you to subvert it. Unfortunately there's a TON of such exploits, so I guess this only serves to prevent wannabe hackers and pranksters.
2. Is your login the only password you type on your computer? I bet not. What about all those? Depending on the software you use and web sites you vist it can be a considerable number of passwords entered. And probably those include the ones a malicious program would really be interested in, actually.
3. And yes, there is: configure your XDM so that it looks different from the default. Don't forget to mark the configuration files to be only readable by root.
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GNOME 3.4 released Posted Mar 29, 2012 16:48 UTC (Thu) by abo (subscriber, #77288) [Link]
None of which is a valid argument against implementing similar functionality in GNU/Linux/X/GNOME, preferrably using the same key combination. It makes a whole lot of sense.
GNOME 3.4 released Posted Mar 29, 2012 21:46 UTC (Thu) by blujay (guest, #39961) [Link]
Eh, I'm not so sure. If malware can inject itself like that, it can already have its way with your data and run whatever code it wants. Would it really need to escalate to root?
I hate having to press Ctrl+Alt+Del to log in. It's an awkward, two-handed chord, and Windows uses it as a crutch because of its inferior security model. Sure, if Linux had such a system from the kernel up through X, it'd be a tiny bit more secure--but with the fundamentally more secure model, and by using trusted binary repositories, I don't think it's necessary. Besides, what are you going to do, press Ctrl+Alt+Del every time you have to type your password? Ugh!
BTW, SELinux on Ubuntu works quite well with Firefox. I can't vouch for how well it stops exploits, but it's there, and is kept up-to-date by Ubuntu.
GNOME 3.4 released Posted Apr 7, 2012 6:09 UTC (Sat) by abo (subscriber, #77288) [Link]
I agree with all of that, but it's still useful in cases where you let untrusted run with full screen access (webapp/flash, remote desktop etc) and with multi-user machines (you trust the admin but not all the other users).
GNOME 3.4 released Posted Mar 30, 2012 1:49 UTC (Fri) by cortana (subscriber, #24596) [Link]
In a Windows setting where you use Ctrl+Alt+Delete (workstation joined to a Windows domain), the only password that matters _is_ the user's password. In this setup, this password gets you access to everything via Windows Integrated Authentication (basically kerberos).
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