Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!brl-adm!adm!rbj@icst-cmr.arpa From: rbj@icst-cmr.arpa Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: su modifications posted to net.sources Message-ID: <4562@brl-adm.ARPA> Date: Thu, 19-Feb-87 22:02:43 EST Article-I.D.: brl-adm.4562 Posted: Thu Feb 19 22:02:43 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 21-Feb-87 01:30:30 EST Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA Lines: 15 In general, you do NOT want "su" to search an "/etc/su_people". Having such a file multiplies the number of accounts which must be secured against intrusion. It is difficult enough to protect one account (root). With N entries in "/etc/su_people" there are (effectively) N root accounts which can be attacked. It is much harder to protect N passwords, N accounts' files, etc. than it is to protect a single root password and the system directories. Gee, that's easy! If account `fred' is in `/etc/su_people', then you just have a file called `/etc/fred_people' :-) (Root Boy) Jim "Just Say Yes" Cottrell Help! A 900 foot tall vision of Dennis Ritchie told me that if I don't get my 4.3 BSD tapes by March I'll die!