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    SubjectRe: Linux login security approaches
    > Some hours ago we had a discuss on Linux security, here at the University.
    > I mentioned that Linux has got a weak point : every user can write a fake
    > login program and even the system administrator can think that it's mgetty
    > and type the root password :( This kind of Trojan programs can be preceded.
    > We should define a key combination which is unmaskable by ANY process, and
    > login procedures should begin by pressing this combo. However I was told that
    > this is "an NT way" solution, but I disagree. (I don't know anything on
    > NT before I've hopefully never used it :) But the idea is great. The fact

    This is a required feature for C2 level security certification.
    Microsoft used to use the Ctrl-Alt-Del combo in Windows NT because it triggers an unmaskable interrupt.
    This feature will be gone in Windows NT Workstation 5.0 (2000).
    I believe that linux can do special processing for any combo.
    You could either use existing Magic SysRQ functionality: Alr-SysRq-k or write a simple program which captures the Ctrl-Alt-Del combo via init and kills all processes assigned to the current VC (don´t know how to figure out).
    In either way you introduce a big insecurity because programs like vlock or xlock won´t be reliable any longer (the same problem as in Win3 beta).

    Thomas

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