updatedb?

RW rwmaillists at googlemail.com
Tue Dec 18 22:44:32 UTC 2012


On Tue, 18 Dec 2012 22:53:29 +0100
Polytropon wrote:

> On Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:32:50 +0000, RW wrote:
> > On Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:01:33 +0000 (UTC)
> > Walter Hurry wrote:
> > 
> > > $ sudo /usr/libexec/locate.updatedb
> > > >>> WARNING
> > > >>> Executing updatedb as root.  This WILL reveal all filenames
> > > >>> on your machine to all login users, which is a security risk.
> > > $
> > > 
> > > Why is it a "security risk"? Security through obscurity? Really?
> > > In this day and age?
> > > 
> > > Or am I missing something?
> > 
> > If permissions have been set to prevent other users reading
> > filenames then obviously leaking file names is security issue.
> 
> There are no "leaking file names",

There is from the perspective of an ordinary user that's configured
directories under ~ to be confidential.

> as by command, the tool does
> what it is requested to: to not obey the restrictions that apply
> in its _normal_ use and list _all_ file names instead.

Obviously. But the warning is intended for people that haven't
thought through the consequences of what they are doing.

On Tue, 18 Dec 2012 22:49:43 +0100
Bas Smeelen wrote:


> Yes. But as stated before it defaults to run as user nobody.
> 
> Line 26 /etc/periodic/weekly/310.locate
> echo /usr/libexec/locate.updatedb | nice -n 5 su -fm nobody || rc=3

This is true but not very relevant.

It runs as nobody from the periodic script, but the warning comes from
locate.updatedb itself, which may be run independently of 310.locate.  

> If someone runs it as root it can be, as everything being run as
> root, a security issue.

Not really, mostly when things are run as root there is an additional
risk. Very few things do the wrong thing simply as a consequence of
running as root so it warrants a warning.


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