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From: bonnett@seismo.CSS.GOV (H. David Bonnett)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Is it possible to hide process args from 'ps -ef'??
Keywords: ps exec
Message-ID: <49566@seismo.CSS.GOV>
Date: 18 Apr 91 20:03:41 GMT
References: <1414@compel.UUCP> <1991Apr17.222700.4586@swsrv1.cirr.com>
Sender: usenet@seismo.CSS.GOV
Followup-To: comp.databases
Organization: Center for Seismic Studies, Arlington, VA
Lines: 35


In article <1991Apr17.222700.4586@swsrv1.cirr.com>, toma@swsrv1.cirr.com (Tom Armistead) writes:
|> In article <1414@compel.UUCP> her@compel.UUCP (Helge Egelund Rasmussen) writes:
|> >It is possible to give Oracle programs the username/password on the 
|> >command line, ie : 
|> >    $ sqlplus scott/tiger
|> >
|> >This is all very nice, BUT when another user execute 'ps -ef' he/she 
|> >can see the password!
|> >
|> >Is it possible to hide the arguments, so that they won't show up in
|> >the 'ps' output (possibly by 'exec'ing sqlplus in some devious way :-)??
|> >
|> >I know that Oracle will ask for the username & password if these aren't given
|> >as arguments, but I would prefer giving them as arguments.
|> >
|> >Btw. I'm using SysV3 (Interactive Unix).

You don't say what version of Oracle you are running, but
this is handled in the sqlplus shipped with 6.0.30:
When I connect to the database through sqlplus as follows:

{trym:~ 161}=> sqlplus scott/tiger@t:HOST:oracle

SQL*Plus: Version 3.0.8.1.1 - Production on Thu Apr 18 15:57:07 1991

Copyright (c) Oracle Corporation 1979, 1989.  All rights reserved.

ps e shows:
684 p1 S     0:00 sqlplus                         DISPLAY=trym:0.0  (etc)

No magic is needed at all.
--
-dave bonnett-   Center for Seismic Studies;  Arlington, VA 
      bonnett@seismo.css.gov :  All standard disclaimers apply.