bugtraq - Re: Another Mac OS X ScreenSaver Security Issue (after Security Update 2003-07-14)

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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2003 18:54:50 +0100
From: Alaric B Snell <alaric@...ric-snell.com>
To: Rizwan Jiwan <Rizwan.Jiwan@...GSTON.Hummingbird.com>
Subject: Re: Another Mac OS X ScreenSaver Security Issue (after Security 
 	  Update 2003-07-14)

Rizwan Jiwan wrote:
> I wouldn't consider this a bug. It is like me writing a script that kills
> any process named "ScreenSaverEngine". If I run it with my privileges it
> should allow me to kill the process (assuming I own ScreenSaverEngine).
> Escape Pod does what it is meant to. OS X does what it is meant to--that is
> unless you are suggesting that the operating system not allow the user to
> kill the screen saver process which is just stupid because I have had my
> screen saver crash on me.

Yes. But either way, it looks as if a side effect of Escape Pod is that 
it nullifies the security of the screen saver.

It sounds like the real issue is that the screensaver - which is meant 
to lock the keyboard, mouse, and display device to prevent tampering by 
passers-by (who do not have the option of taking the machine home and 
mounting the disk in another machine et al). The flaw seems to be in 
that the OS is still passing keyboard events to the likes of Escape Pod 
when the screensaver has asked to lock the keyboard. Maybe it's the 
screen saver's fault, in that it's not properly locking the keyboard, 
but it's more likely to be that the code in the GUI that handles locking 
the console should disable 'hotkey' processing too.

> 
> -Riz
> 

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