Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix.sco
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!batcomputer!cornell!uw-beaver!ubc-cs!van-bc!oneb!kmcvay
From: kmcvay@oneb.wimsey.bc.ca (Ken McVay)
Subject: /etc/passwd permissions
Distribution: na
Organization: 1B Systems Management Limited
Keywords: passwd
Message-ID: <1991May15.214600.6733@oneb.wimsey.bc.ca>
Date: Wed, 15 May 91 21:46:00 GMT

With /etc/passwd readable by everyone, it can be send uucp by anyone
with a shell account. Granted, encryption provides some protection, but
would it hurt anything to simply set the perms to r--r----- root root?

/bin/passwd runs suid root, as does su - while 'l' and similar utilities
do not, and show only the owner's userid #, rather than the owner's name.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I'd like to learn a great deal more
about protecting the system before I'll be comfortable with shell
accounts... any suggestions regarding the /etc/passwd and /etc/group
files, and others?




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