Ubuntu security hole? (not super major, but wondering if it is an issue to report)

[Dick Davies]

On 09/05/06, Mike Bird <mgb-ubuntu at yosemite.net> wrote:
> On Tuesday 09 May 2006 12:09, Dick Davies wrote:
> > On 09/05/06, Mike Bird <mgb-ubuntu at yosemite.net> wrote:
> > > I have worked where most programmers had keyboard/mouse/monitor remote
> > > access but no physical access to the secure computer room.  Programmers
> > > could reboot a system when necessary but not use removable media to
> > > become root.
> >
> > Mike, please read the thread.
> >
> > We're talking about fsck dropping you to a rootprompt because it can't
> > mount the disk, not booting off removable media.
>
> Dick, please read the thread.   ;-)
>
> The argument was that dropping to a root prompt is no loss of security
> because, given physical access, one could boot from removable media.
>
> Dropping to a root prompt is a security hole for those systems which provide
> keyboard access but which do not permit booting from removable media.

Ok, ok - I *had* read the rest of the thread, honest :)

So all your guys have KVM - type access to the console, but not the
BIOS/DRAC/whatever?

We're about to get those wierd KVMs that let you mount your local CD drives as
a bootable disk on the server. Sounds like we're in for some fun...

--
Rasputin :: Jack of All Trades - Master of Nuns
http://number9.hellooperator.net/