linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] ptrace: it is fun to strace /sbin/init

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Date:	Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:39:25 +0100
From:	Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>
To:	Oleg Nesterov <oleg@...sign.ru>
Cc:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	"Eric W. Biederman" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>,
	Pavel Emelyanov <xemul@...nvz.org>,
	Stephen Smalley <sds@...ho.nsa.gov>,
	Roland McGrath <roland@...hat.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] ptrace: it is fun to strace /sbin/init


> > > @@ -803,6 +803,8 @@ and is between 256 and 4096 characters. 
> > >  			Run specified binary instead of /sbin/init as init
> > >  			process.
> > >  
> > > +	init_ptrace	[KNL] Allows to ptrace init.
> > > +
> > 
> > No words about it being dangerous, but I believe it is.
> 
> it is, admin should know what he does,
> 
> > If it is not, lets do the patch, but not optional.
> 
> This will change the default historical behaviour, I can't predict
> does this matter for (say) SELinux or not. Otherwise I'd personally
> prefer to always allow to ptrace init.
> 
> > If it is dangerous, option does not make it better.
> 
> ptrace() is always dangerous. ptracer can crash oracle and lose data.
> 
> /sbin/init is important, but there are other important (and sometimes
> much more important) services. Why it is so special so that we can't
> debug/strace it?

Maybe. Let's kill /sbin/init protection in 2.6.26. But making it
optional is wrong.
									Pavel
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