Re: Announcement: Solaris loadable kernel module backdoor

From: der Mouse (mouseat_private)
Date: Thu Jan 06 2000 - 08:20:46 PST

  • Next message: Jason Spence: "Re: Handspring Visor Network HotSync Security Hole"

    > [...] the numerous other ways root can subvert the running kernel ---
    > or, equivalently, all running processes (e.g. with ptrace).
    
    Subverting the kernel is not equivalent to subverting any/all running
    processes; the former is significantly stronger than the latter.  As a
    simple example, if you have hardware on your system that the kernel
    ignores[%], subverting all running processes still won't allow you to
    access it, but subverting the kernel potentially will.
    
    [%] For whatever reason - perhaps because it doesn't understand it, or
    perhaps because support is configured out.
    
    In some cases, of course, subverting certain processes may allow you to
    subvert the kernel, if the kernel trusts one of those processes
    sufficiently highly (eg, allows it to load arbitrary LKMs).  That
    doesn't make them equivalent, except perhaps in the case of that setup.
    
    					der Mouse
    
    			       mouseat_private
    		     7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39  4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Apr 13 2001 - 15:27:09 PDT