is that the s when you do chmod +x
On Fri, 10 Dec 1999, Brian wrote:
> On Fri, 10 Dec 1999, Steve Lee wrote:
>
> >
> > what does it mean to run something setuid
>
> It means that when you run the program, the program changes to the uid of
> the owner of the program. So if you have a program and its owned by root,
> and you make it setuid root and executable (chmod 4755), then anyone who
> runs that program, will be doing the operations of that program as if they
> were in fact root.
>
> Take "passwd" for example:
>
> -r-s--x--x 1 root root 22312 Sep 25 10:52 /usr/bin/passwd
>
> You know, that as user joeblow, you do not have write permission to
> /etc/passwd or /etc/shadow. Yet you can run the "passwd" program, and
> change your passwd (which writes to /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow). How is
> this possible? Because the program is "setuid root", meaning when it
> runs, it runs as if it were root. So that even though you cannot write
> /etc/passwd, the /usr/bin/passwd program CAN since it runs as if it were
> root.
>
> setuid programs can open a whole slew of security problems. Race
> conditions, incomplete path names, poor enviroment, etc, are just the tip
> of the iceburg. Lots of caution to anyone who decides to setuid a
> program.
>
> Brian
>
>
> >
> >
> > --
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> >
>
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Brian Feeny (BF304) [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 318-222-2638 x 109 http://www.shreve.net/~signal
> Network Administrator ShreveNet Inc. (ASN 11881)
>
>
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