linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 1/2] add helper for highmem checks

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Date:	Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:46:43 -0800
From:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
To:	Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>,
	Dave Hansen <dave@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-mm@...ck.org, mingo@...nel.org,
	tglx@...utronix.de
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] add helper for highmem checks

On 02/11/2013 02:34 PM, Borislav Petkov wrote:
> On Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 11:44:12AM -0800, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
>> Oh, craptastic. X used to hash /dev/mem to get a random seed. It
>> should have stopped that long ago, and used /dev/[u]random.
> 
> That's because debian still has this WINGs window manager which hasn't
> seen any new releases since 2005: http://voins.program.ru/wdm/ and I'm
> using it because I don't want the pompous crap of the other display
> managers.
> 
> But this one uses /dev/mem as a randomFile only by default - there's a
> configuration variable DisplayManager.randomFile which can be pointed
> away from /dev/mem so that's easily fixable.
> 
> Mind you, I wouldnt've caught the issue if I wasn't using this ancient
> thing in its default settings :o).
> 

The X server itself used to do that.  Are you saying that wdm is a
*privileged process*?

	-hpa

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