noexec mount points
by Greg Metcalfe
Is anyone thinking about providing an install option for mounting /home (or
individual directories under /home) and/or /root noexec?
Fedora seems slanted more and more toward people that don't write code, have
no real idea of security, etc. I'm OK with that, but IMHO, it's only a matter
of time before dropping malicious executables into /home/$USER becomes a
serious problem. Linux desktops don't have to achieve World Domination for
this to become an issue.
This needn't be a major inconvenience to coders, even if it was the default.
The principle of least privilege should at least be considered--that's why
it's considered a principle, instead of, say, a vague idea. Considerable
damage can be done (from a privacy perspective, if nothing else) by grabbing
user files--rooting the box isn't required. I, for one, don't like the idea
of my address book escaping, and I would regard that as _minimal_ damage.
If you're doing ssh, rsync, etc., via keys in /home/$USER/.ssh the possibility
of escalating this into hugely damaging attacks on sensitive hosts exists.
Let's not forget the common case of a home network sitting behind a broadband
router, with a DMZ machine hosting sshd, httpd, etc., and another on a
protected LAN doing desktop duty. I would consider that the minimal
configuration to protect, not a single desktop machine with (possibly)
multiple users under $HOME, if it can possibly be done without making things
hopelessly complex for Aunt Ethel (mail, Web, plays music, and ?*) installing
onto a single machine.
What would the ROI be on doing this? The 'R' seems very large, particularly as
many are switching to Linux for security reasons. Does anyone have a clear
idea of what the 'I' would be? Factors to consider would include things an
Aunt Ethel user might typically do, which would require /home/$USER to allow
executables, not just installer changes.
* Does anyone have any user surveys on what Aunt Ethel actually uses her
machine for, or are we operating in a vacuum? I'd like to see some links, if
anyone has any. I strongly doubt I'm a typical user.
16 years, 4 months
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