From xemacs-m  Thu Apr  3 00:44:54 1997
Received: from tmai.com (tmai.com [192.246.219.2])
	by xemacs.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id AAA07562
	for <xemacs-beta@xemacs.org>; Thu, 3 Apr 1997 00:44:53 -0600 (CST)
Received: from tmai.com by tmai.com (4.1/SMI-4.1)
	id AA22959; Wed, 2 Apr 97 22:42:30 PST
Received: from nocturne.tmai.com by marmot (4.1/SMI-4.1)
	id AA11561; Wed, 2 Apr 97 22:42:27 PST
Received: by nocturne.tmai.com (SMI-8.6/SMI-SVR4)
	id WAA20516; Wed, 2 Apr 1997 22:42:25 -0800
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 22:42:25 -0800
From: brian_barrick@tmai.com (Brian Barrick)
Message-Id: <199704030642.WAA20516@nocturne.tmai.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
To: xemacs-beta@xemacs.org
Subject: Re: A security hole during XEmacs installation
In-Reply-To: <m2afngtxrc.fsf@altair.xemacs.org>
References: <kig7mipznnu.fsf@jagor.srce.hr>
	<m2raguibri.fsf@altair.xemacs.org>
	<199704012241.OAA06912@newman>
	<m2u3lqtesy.fsf@altair.xemacs.org>
	<199704030117.RAA00359@wmperry.in.aventail.com>
	<rviv24slhj.fsf@sdnp5.ucsd.edu>
	<QQcjqd25103.199704030559@crystal.WonderWorks.COM>
	<rvhghoske2.fsf@sdnp5.ucsd.edu>
	<m2afngtxrc.fsf@altair.xemacs.org>
X-Mailer: VM 6.22 under 19.15 XEmacs Lucid

Steven L Baur writes:
 > David Moore <dmoore@ucsd.edu> writes:
 > 
 > > And I do note that most software when installed by root gets owned
 > > by root.
 > 
 > XEmacs should be installed by root, and have all files with executable
 > code owned by root.  I think with the advent of portable Unix virii
 > some months ago it's too dangerous to have binaries owned by anyone
 > other than root.[1]
 > 
 > Footnotes: 
 > [1]  Unless the installer insists on shooting himself or herself in
 > the foot.

On my Solaris machine, the binaries in /usr/bin are owned by bin, not by
root.  I would much rather have system files owned by a user with
limited privileges than have to be root to install software.  I consider
it more of a security risk to trust that typing 'make install' will not
end in disaster if I am running as root.  And I can always go back after
the fact and use chown to correct the file ownerships.

Why does having binaries owned by someone other than root pose a threat?

	- Brian

