From: utzoo!decvax!genradbo!linus!smk
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Title: Re: Protect KMEM!
Article-I.D.: linus.1323
Posted: Thu Dec 30 09:34:33 1982
Received: Fri Dec 31 04:10:02 1982
References: sri-unix.4962

	Since I deal with computer security, I find that there are two
schools of thought on computer systems:
1.	Give some minimal protection.
2.	Try to protect the system.

	However, unless all the users are trustworthy, 1. is hopeless.
All you need is one obnoxious user to mess you up.  When that happens,
you'll be surprised how soon you want to protect everything.
	Solution 2 is much better but since UNIX has holes, you'll
be adding security piecemeal.  Even though you are safer, don't get lured
into a false sense of security.
	Why have the protection n users and files if you can break it?
Let's add security to future versions of UNIX.  A quick hack (/dev/*mem)
will always hurt because not much thought was given to the consequences.
All interfaces to the operating system should be minimal and well-defined.
/dev/kmem is not, but system calls are.  Any function that is worth
having should be a system call. (Remember the renice discussion?)