Is pre-linking worth it?
Is pre-linking worth it?
Posted Jul 15, 2009 23:25 UTC (Wed) by jake (editor, #205)In reply to: Is pre-linking worth it? by nix
Parent article: Is pre-linking worth it?
> A *local* attacker? If a hostile attacker has got onto your system and can
> observe /proc/self/maps for security-critical programs
> observe /proc/self/maps for security-critical programs
I think we are talking across each other. If an attacker can do 'cat /proc/self/maps', and thus see the memory map of 'cat', they will see where libc is mapped. On a pre-linked system, that is the likely place it is mapped for *other* interesting programs. So, a local attacker, or one who can get map information for simple, non-security-critical programs, can then use that information in a buffer overflow or other exploit of the security-critical program of interest (assuming it links to libc).
*that* is a security hole for pre-linking ...
(btw, your email notifications are bouncing :)
jake