Bug 1956 – Any user can launch X even if not logged on at console!!

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Bug 1956 - Any user can launch X even if not logged on at console!!

Summary:	Any user can launch X even if not logged on at console!!

Status:	CLOSED CURRENTRELEASE

Aliases:	None

Product:	Red Hat Linux
Classification:	Retired
Component:	XFree86 (Show other bugs)
Sub Component:
Version:	6.0
Hardware:	All Linux

Priority	medium Severity medium
Target Milestone:	---
Target Release:	---
Assigned To:	David Lawrence
QA Contact:
Docs Contact:

URL:
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Keywords:	Security

Depends On:
Blocks:
	Show dependency tree / graph

Reported:	1999-04-02 13:22 EST by Chris Evans
Modified:	2008-05-01 11:37 EDT (History)
CC List:	0 users

See Also:
Fixed In Version:
Doc Type:	Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Story Points:	---
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed:	1999-04-07 19:40:35 EDT
Type:	---
Regression:	---
Mount Type:	---
Documentation:	---
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Description Chris Evans 1999-04-02 13:22:58 EST

This is irritating if nothing else. Why should a user be
able to telnet in, type "startx", and affect the console?

As a quick hack around this "Xwrapper" could be modified to
reject the request to start up X unless the process in on a
virtual console (tty1 etc.)

Comment 1 michael 1999-04-04 20:42:59 EDT

This isn't a real security problem per se. I've had occasion
to use this 'feature' in the past.

Comment 2 Preston Brown 1999-04-05 16:30:59 EDT

If we have time, we may implement a check for if the user is on the
console for 6.0, but it really isn't a security concern.  If someone
does this to you, you call them up and get mad at them. :)

If it doesn't make 6.0, it will make post-6.0.

Comment 3 Michael K. Johnson 1999-04-05 16:43:59 EDT

In particular, when this happens, it will be done by pamifying
xwrapper and making it authenticate against pam_console by default.
Then folks can add whatever other authentication they want -- like
pam_time, for example...

Comment 4 Michael K. Johnson 1999-04-07 19:16:59 EDT

OK, I got time I didn't expect so I did this in time for 6.0 :-)
Now sysadmins can set their own policy here without recompiling.
Preston, go ahead and close this once the code is built into our
XFree86 package.

Comment 5 Preston Brown 1999-04-07 19:40:59 EDT

This will be included in XFree86-3.3.3.1-40 and later.

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