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  • From: Seth Alan Woolley <seth AT positivism.org>
  • To: "David Michael Leo Brown Jr." <dmlb2000 AT excite.com>
  • Cc: sm-discuss AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [SM-Discuss] Basesystem Cache files on Mirror
  • Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 16:44:29 -0700

On Thu, Apr 28, 2005 at 07:16:17PM -0400, David Michael Leo Brown Jr. wrote:
>
> >> >
> >> > And don't forget that this has potential for a huge security hole,
> >> > when
> >> > some malicious user contributes tarball with modified binary. How are
> >> > we
> >> > supposed to detect such a thing, or prevent it at all? Not that I
> >> > think
> >> > such tarball cache is bad idea, it would save me quite a lot of time
> >> > sometimes, but still this security concern is a big one.
> >>
> >> Perhaps, since there's stuff in sorcery for GPG verification, we could
> >> use gpg to verify the tarballs. If the QA Team is going to generate them
> >> then they could sign the tarballs and put the signature and the cache on
> >> the download site.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >But if QA team is to create those tarballs, what is the reason for other
> >users to create them? I know, I'm playing devil's advocate here, but there
> >are important security issues here and I just don't want my computers to
> >fall easy prey to malicious hacker :) I may sound a bit paranoid, but I'm
> >managing one server under constant attack (about 20 attempts a day), so
> >the paranoia has its own sense :) Not counting other computers where I use
> >SourceMage (3 as of now, fourth to be added soon)
> >
> >If anyone shows me that my concerns are moot, it would be great then. Not
> >that I like to be proved wrong, but when good idea turns out to be secure
> >idea, the better for everyone.
> >
>
> I understand your parinoia but its not like we are going to force
> people to use these cache files they are for repairing broken systems
> or potentialy a net install, if you need to use these cache files
> either you or someone else violated your system to the point were you
> can't recover with out them.
>
> I don't understand the circumstances that would result, along with
> appropriate
> gpg checks, in a security violation especially when the machine is in an
> unusable state to start with.

A denial of service is of a much lesser category than a wholesale
rooting. Let's not confuse the two. :)

--
Seth Alan Woolley [seth at positivism.org], SPAM/UCE is unauthorized
Key id 00BA3AF3 = 8BE0 A72E A47E A92A 0737 F2FF 7A3F 6D3C 00BA 3AF3
Quality Assurance Team Leader; Security Team Member, Leader Emeritus
Linux so advanced, it may as well be magic http://www.sourcemage.org
Elected Coordinating Committee Member, Secretary, and Finances Chair
Pacific Green Party of Oregon - Peace - http://www.pacificgreens.org

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