Very general shutdown question

[James Alexander Cook]

On Mon, Feb 07, 2005 at 11:49:22AM +0000, Dick Davies wrote:
> * Steven <freebsd at gizm0.org> [0203 23:03]:
> > Hello Ned,
> > 
> > you can add the user to the operator group. it is possible to run 
> > shutdown then (but not halt etc).
> 
> Be caneful of that, I think operator  has other privileges too
> (can read from any disk for starters).
> 
>  
> > You could also create a shutdown user with a login shell pointing to a 
> > shutdown script.
> 
> But that won't work if they still don't have permission to run it...
> 

What if you put the shutdown user in the operator group?

I don't plan to use this solution, but out of curiousity, are there any
security problems with creating a privileged user with a widely known password
but a login shell that does something specific, like shutting down the system?

- James Cook
  james.cook at utoronto.ca