On Tue Sep 16 08:40 AM, Bill Moran wrote:
> In response to Tom Lane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> 
>> Bill Moran <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>>> What I'm _asking_ is why would extending SECURITY DEFINER to include 
>>> preventing unauthorized users from viewing code _not_ be a valid 
>>> method of securing the code.
>> 
>> Because it's so full of obvious loopholes.  Yes, it might slow down 
>> someone who didn't have superuser access to the database or root 
>> access to the machine it's on; but that doesn't count as secure 
>> really.  The problem is that the people who ask for this type of 
>> feature are usually imagining that they can put their code on 
>> customer-controlled machines and it will be safe from the customer's 
>> eyes.  Well, it isn't, and I don't think Postgres should encourage
> them to think it is.
> 
> Shame that.  I can imagine it being a useful feature in certain 
> situations (such as a hosted environment), although I understand the 
> concern.
> 
> Code obfuscation is the norm, though.  The world at large still seems 
> to believe that compiling code make it secret, despite the fact that 
> crooks have demonstrated again and again that they're more than 
> willing to read through opcodes, and the fact that there are 
> decompilers available for just about every major compiled format.
> 

I agree here. I hope there's a consensus that it does offer some level of
protection. 

After some research, I found this article that I believe will make a
stronger use case: 
http://www.iosn.net/network/news/Managing%20the%20insider%20threat%20through
%20code%20obfuscation

Whether or not it belongs in PG I don't really have an opinion. 




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