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Article #900

GNU su doesn't restrict root access? Why?

#900
From: Richard Stallman
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 21:27
17 lines
1449 bytes
What does it mean to resist fascism?

Sometimes a few of the users try to hold total power over all the
rest.  For example, in 1984, a few users at the MIT AI lab decided to
seize power by changing the operator password on the Twenex system and
keeping it secret from everyone else.  (I was able to thwart this coup
and give power back to the users by patching the kernel, but I
wouldn't know how to do that in Unix.)

However, occasionally the rulers do tell someone.  Under the usual su
mechanism, once someone learns the root password who sympathizes with
the ordinary users, he can tell the rest.  The "wheel group" feature
would make this impossible, and thus cement the power of the rulers.

I'm on the side of the masses, not that of the rulers.  If you are
used to supporting the bosses and sysadmins in whatever they do, you
might find this idea strange at first.
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Message-ID: <9210130527.AA02711@mole.gnu.ai.mit.edu>
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!convex!darwin.sura.net!spool.mu.edu!umn.edu!paperboy.micro.umn.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!gnu.ai.mit.edu!rms
References: <1992Oct12.050623.21604@muddcs.claremont.edu>

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From: rms@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Richard Stallman)
Subject: GNU su doesn't restrict root access?  Why?
Message-ID: <9210130527.AA02711@mole.gnu.ai.mit.edu>
Sender: gnulists@ai.mit.edu
Organization: GNUs Not Usenet
References: <1992Oct12.050623.21604@muddcs.claremont.edu>
Distribution: gnu
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 21:27:24 GMT
Approved: bug-gnu-utils@prep.ai.mit.edu
Lines: 18