/tmp permissions

[Matthew Seaman]

dick hoogendijk wrote:
> Today I read that /tmp always is "noexec".
> That should probably be on linux, because on my fbsd-6.1 box it's "rw"
> and that's it.
> 
> Question: should I change /tmp to "rw,noexec" to be safer?

It will screw up your ability to do 'make buildworld', but other than
that, is generally harmless.

In order for something like that to be effective though, you'ld have
to ensure that there weren't any world writeable directories on your
system on partitions that allowed processes to be exec'd from them.
Similarly you'ld have to ensure that any account liable to compromise
does not have any directories around where it can write files and
execute them from.  Which is actually quite reasonable to do for most 
of the UIDs that exist solely to own network server processes.

However, at that level of paranoia, judicious use of chroot(2) or
jail(2) would be indicated -- so banishing network servers into corners
of your disk space with no /tmp accessible on them at all.

	Cheers,

	Matthew

-- 
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.                       7 Priory Courtyard
                                                      Flat 3
PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey         Ramsgate
                                                      Kent, CT11 9PW

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