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From: "Christopher Friesen" <cfriesen@nortelnetworks.com>
To: Jacques Gelinas <jack@solucorp.qc.ca>
Cc: Linux kernel list <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Is writing to /dev/ramdom a security flaw (vserver project)
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 17:38:07 -0400	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <3BD09D3F.C16E423E@nortelnetworks.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20011019172309.4219c22e9a53@remtk.solucorp.qc.ca>

Jacques Gelinas wrote:
> 
> I have announced a project (see my signature) to run several virtual servers
> on a single box (single kernel as well). The vservers are real linux distribution
> running in a chroot/chbind/chcontext and capability limited environment.
> 
> While looking at the kernel we found out that writing to /dev/random is
> not controlled by any capability. We are providing a /dev/random in
> the vservers with permission 644, so it can be used.
> 
> Is this a security issue if an administrator of a vserver is allowed to write
> in /dev/random ?

My understanding is that anything written to /dev/random is stirred into the
pool without incrementing the entropy count.  Thus, it shouldn't be an issue.

Chris

-- 
Chris Friesen                    | MailStop: 043/33/F10  
Nortel Networks                  | work: (613) 765-0557
3500 Carling Avenue              | fax:  (613) 765-2986
Nepean, ON K2H 8E9 Canada        | email: cfriesen@nortelnetworks.com

  reply	other threads:[~2001-10-19 21:36 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 3+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2001-10-19 22:23 Is writing to /dev/ramdom a security flaw (vserver project) Jacques Gelinas
2001-10-19 21:38 ` Christopher Friesen [this message]
2001-10-20  0:26 ` David Wagner

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