From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from uni07mr.unity.ncsu.edu ([152.1.1.170]) by speech.braille.uwo.ca with esmtp (Exim 3.36 #1 (Debian)) id 1Eo3mr-0000jF-00 for ; Sun, 18 Dec 2005 14:01:38 -0500 Received: from quark (cpe-069-134-173-071.nc.res.rr.com [69.134.173.71]) (authenticated bits=0) by uni07mr.unity.ncsu.edu (8.13.4/8.13.4/N.20050816.01) with ESMTP id jBIJ1UqJ007502 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=RC4-MD5 bits=128 verify=NO) for ; Sun, 18 Dec 2005 14:01:31 -0500 (EST) From: "Sina Bahram" To: "'Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.'" Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2005 14:01:30 -0500 Message-ID: <000001c60405$75aeb7d0$6701a8c0@quark> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook 11 In-reply-to: Thread-Index: AcYDTPF0ZoaIkli0QbC6GXDFOeNRGgAuGQjw X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2180 X-PMX-Version: 4.7.1.128075, Antispam-Engine: 2.1.0.0, Antispam-Data: 2005.12.18.19 X-Spam-Status: No, Hits=7% X-Spam-Level: IIIIIII Subject: RE: /etc/suauth X-BeenThere: speakup@braille.uwo.ca X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." List-Id: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2005 19:01:38 -0000 So you have increased the chances from 1 out of 99, to 2 out of 99 ... Actually you have doubled their chances ... But, regardless of that, I have a question. You said it's harder to find the password to a user account than to root. Please explain. Take care, Sina -----Original Message----- From: speakup-bounces@braille.uwo.ca [mailto:speakup-bounces@braille.uwo.ca] On Behalf Of Jude DaShiell Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2005 4:00 PM To: speakup@braille.uwo.ca Subject: re: /etc/suauth The analysis is flawed. A machine with 99 user accounts on it and a root account with only one line in /etc/suauth with one user account on it presents a hacker with 98 decoys and one hackable account. The hacker has to go to the trouble of stealing a user account password not a root account password and that is more difficult to do. It never was only the possibility of irreversible system damage that was the only reason not to run as root on the internet with the security specialists in the first place. Now if on a 99 user account machine you insist on having 99 lines in /etc/suauth, then a hacker would have 99 possible targets and would be more likely to break into a machine. _______________________________________________ Speakup mailing list Speakup@braille.uwo.ca http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup