[NCLUG] Why not Root?

[Chad Perrin]

On Sat, Mar 17, 2007 at 12:49:51PM -0600, David Braley wrote:
> 
> Is there a security reason for not logging in as root? Is the machine
> somehow less secure when someone is logged in as root?

I'll demonstrate the potential security issues via an example.

Assume you log in as root.

Now assume you run an IRC client, and connect to a channel at freenode.

Now assume someone there notices your IRC client is Xchat.

Assume that person knows of an arbitrary remote code execution exploit
for Xchat.

Your system has just been rooted.

This is an extreme example.  Other, very different, examples are
similarly possible (and similarly extreme).

It's just a good idea to run as something other than root most of the
time.  Similarly, it's a good idea to ensure that your user account
doesn't have complete administrative access via sudo, so that
compromising the normal user account doesn't give the person unfettered
access to your system via sudo.

-- 
CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://ccd.apotheon.org ]
Ben Franklin: "As we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of
others we should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any
Invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously."