> Essentially, this is a question about pam.
>
> Not long ago I posted a message here asking if it was possible to set
> things up so that besides root, only one other particular user is made
> able to run /usr/sbin/pppd without the use of a password. I did not
> want to make pppd suid or be forced to do it via su (which requires
> root password) or sudo (which requires it be installed and requires
> the user's password unless configured for NOPASS).
The hoops you went through go to illustrate what a woeful security mechanism
PAM is.
A better system (and it's been around for 20 years or so that I know of)
requires no changes to programs to secure them; the can even be on public view.
The security manager would issue a command that goes something like this:
grant user(tony) program(usr/sbin/pppd) access(exec);
and Tony could use pppd, but can't read it, copy it or do anything to see
what's in it.
There would also have been something like this:
grant program(/usr/sbin/pppd) device(/dev/ttyS?) access (read write);
Tony can't use the serial ports (unless there's a separate rule for him to do
so), but pppd can.
Note I made up the syntax on the spot; I think the intention's clear.
Programs and other resources are secured because the security manager says so;
programs do not need to have any hooks in them to enable security control.
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