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SubjectRe: Why is chmod(2)?
I started this whole discussion with:
>I was talking about Unix system security recently and came
>across a strange question which you may be able to answer. The
>question is: "Why is chmod(2)", i.e. why are there so many
>kernel functions which take pathnames as parameters, when there
>are similar functions which take an fd.

[ del del del ]

>I think it is often desireable in security related programs to
>use the f-version of a systemcall, because it ensures that you
>are talking about the same file in a sequence of related calls
>that are being done with the intention to check multiple things.
>An open fd is the only way for a process to refer directly to an
>inode (and a file offset, which is redundant in some cases, but
>not harmful).

Rainer Weikusat sent me the following code snippet:

-----
#!/bin/bash
#
# From: Rainer Weikusat <rw@another.de>

cd /tmp

echo -e "#!/bin/sh\necho f1" >f1
echo -e "#!/bin/sh\necho f2" >f2

chmod +x f1 f2
ln -sf f1 f3

exec 3<f3

ln -sf f2 f3

/proc/self/fd/3
-----

which prints "f1". This reminded me of the fact that in Linux
all filedescriptors have in fact names in the /proc directory,
which kind of turns my original argument around: Since all fds
have names, you can actually use the regular system calls to
access them and are not required to use the f-calls instead. In
his Example, Rainer demonstrates this by emulating the
nonexistent fexecve() with a regular execve() on file descriptor 3.

This probably differs from a hypothetical fexecve() system call
in the point in time when the permissions are check, but should
be sufficient from a security standpoint in most cases. In
particular, Apaches suexec.c should be perfectly happy for it.

All that _I_ need now to be happy is an option to execve() that
makes execve() ignore any potential SUID bits on a program. I
went through great pains and troubles to change to the desired
UID in my program and to check the validity of the program I
want to execute and I do not want that program to change
privileges spontaneously...

Kristian


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