From O_MAYEXEC to trusted_for()

The ability to execute the contents of a file is controlled by the execute-permission bits — some of the time. If a given file contains code that can be executed by an interpreter — such as shell commands or code in a language like Perl or Python, for example — there are easy ways to run the interpreter on the file regardless of whether it has execute permission enabled or not. Mickaël Salaün has been working on tightening up the administrator's control over execution by interpreters for some time, but has struggled to find an acceptable home for this feature. His latest attempt takes the form of a new system call named trusted_for().

Full Story (comments: 31)