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Groups > comp.os.linux.development.apps > #256

Re: Security problem

From Carlos Moreno <moreno_news@mailinator.com>
Newsgroups comp.os.linux.development.apps
Subject Re: Security problem
Date 2011-09-01 15:48 -0400
Organization University of Waterloo
Message-ID <j3oni5$emm$1@rumours.uwaterloo.ca> (permalink)
References <j3jrp5$534$1@speranza.aioe.org> <j3o9eb$jk9$1@rumours.uwaterloo.ca> <87obz4s142.fsf@araminta.anjou.terraraq.org.uk>

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>> 1.  Do *not* allow root login  (in sshd_config, which on my
>> systems it is located on /etc/ssh/sshd_config) there is the
>> PermitRootLogin parameter, commented out --- uncomment it
>> and set it to *no*  (you can always login as a regular user
>> and use sudo, or su to become root)
>
> Allowing login as a user who can become root is near-enough equivalent
> to allowing login as root; moreover given the regular appearance of
> privilege-escalation vulnerabilities allowing any user login is likely
> to turn to to be equivalent to allowing root login.

I guess you have a point --- in fact, I've always seen this as
one weaknesses of the sudo setup.   Which BTW, if you have a
standard sudo setup, then the "PermitRootLogin no" is sort of
implicit, in that there is no root password to login with.

>> 2.  Preferably, put a list of allowed users --- the AllowUsers
>> configuration parameter, followed by the user names.  (and by
>> all means, *do choose good passwords* for these accounts)
>
> Better still use public-key authentication and disallow password
> authentication completely, at least on anything facing a hostile
> network.

Oops --- I meant to mention this one as well!   Even though I
sort of have mixed feelings about this technique;  the whole
Debian OpenSSL atrocity that happened some 3 or 4 years ago
left me thinking about ever setting up PK authentication for
SSH  :-\   I guess my fear is somewhat irrational: it *was*
a blatant bug that happened to affect PK authentication; but
it could have affected (and who is to say that there may not
be some future bugs that do) password authentication as well,
or simply affect ssh in a way that it becomes compromised
regardless of what types of authentications are enabled....

Suffice it to say ....  I've never enabled PK authentication
on my servers for more than half-hour or so  (when I'm working
on something that requires lots of uploads in a short period
of time).  I guess combining it with using a non-standard port
could buy you some peace of mind.

Cheers,

Carlos
--

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Security problem jacob navia <jacob@spamsink.net> - 2011-08-31 01:29 +0200
  Re: Security problem GangGreene <GangGreene@invalid.com> - 2011-08-30 19:47 -0400
    Re: Security problem jacob navia <jacob@spamsink.net> - 2011-08-31 02:20 +0200
    Re: Security problem David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2011-09-02 16:19 +0200
      Re: Security problem Noob <root@127.0.0.1> - 2011-12-01 11:24 +0100
        Re: Security problem David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2011-12-01 13:11 +0100
          Re: Security problem Rainer Weikusat <rweikusat@mssgmbh.com> - 2011-12-01 13:34 +0000
            Re: Security problem David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2011-12-01 16:19 +0100
              Re: Security problem Rainer Weikusat <rweikusat@mssgmbh.com> - 2011-12-01 17:10 +0000
                Re: Security problem David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no> - 2011-12-01 23:17 +0100
                Re: Security problem Rainer Weikusat <rweikusat@mssgmbh.com> - 2011-12-01 22:34 +0000
                Re: Security problem David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2011-12-02 10:25 +0100
                Re: Security problem Richard Kettlewell <rjk@greenend.org.uk> - 2011-12-02 10:37 +0000
                Re: Security problem Rainer Weikusat <rweikusat@mssgmbh.com> - 2011-12-02 14:44 +0000
                Re: Security problem David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2011-12-02 17:11 +0100
                Re: Security problem André Gillibert <MetaEntropy.removeThis@gmail.com> - 2011-12-03 11:45 +0100
                Re: Security problem Noob <root@127.0.0.1> - 2011-12-05 13:26 +0100
  Re: Security problem Carlos Moreno <moreno_news@mailinator.com> - 2011-09-01 11:47 -0400
    Re: Security problem Richard Kettlewell <rjk@greenend.org.uk> - 2011-09-01 17:01 +0100
      Re: Security problem Carlos Moreno <moreno_news@mailinator.com> - 2011-09-01 15:48 -0400
        Re: Security problem Richard Kettlewell <rjk@greenend.org.uk> - 2011-09-01 22:44 +0100
          Re: Security problem Richard Kettlewell <rjk@greenend.org.uk> - 2011-09-02 14:27 +0100
      Re: Security problem Jasen Betts <jasen@xnet.co.nz> - 2011-09-02 11:06 +0000
        Re: Security problem Richard Kettlewell <rjk@greenend.org.uk> - 2011-09-02 13:49 +0100
          Re: Security problem Carlos Moreno <moreno_news@mailinator.com> - 2011-09-02 13:58 -0400
            Re: Security problem Richard Kettlewell <rjk@greenend.org.uk> - 2011-09-02 19:31 +0100
  Re: Security problem "Ersek, Laszlo" <lacos@caesar.elte.hu> - 2011-09-01 21:01 +0200

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