#6319 NORM Never A: sudo and su don't ask for password

Zarro Boogs per Child bugtracker at laptop.org
Mon Feb 4 22:24:26 EST 2008


#6319: sudo and su don't ask for password
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  Reporter:  mikus   |       Owner:  jg                               
      Type:  defect  |      Status:  new                              
  Priority:  normal  |   Milestone:  Never Assigned                   
 Component:  distro  |     Version:  Development build as of this date
Resolution:          |    Keywords:                                   
  Verified:  0       |    Blocking:                                   
 Blockedby:          |  
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Comment(by mikus):

 > Master bug for this root mishmash is #5537

 I happen to disagree with those who consider 'root' a horror.  I am
 perfectly willing to take the responsibility for what ensues if I were to
 enter 'rm -r /' (or suchlike).  [When you made 'root' completely
 inaccessible on 667 (no 'sudo' provided), I __manually__ pasted an
 already-encrypted string into the /etc/shadow line for 'root' -- that gave
 'root' a password I knew, and I could then switch to 'root' in Terminal.]

 I *do* believe in "locking" all access to 'root' until the knowledgeable
 user provides a password for 'root'.

 PLEASE do not limit 'root' access to only Ctl-Alt-F2 (or -F1).  The
 console does not support "scrolling" to view the past.  Besides, the font
 and the background/foreground colors have to be customized to allow
 someone with weak eyes (me) to read what is there.

 Please do allow a way for the Terminal to switch to 'root'.  [The icon
 that was added to Terminal for this purpose is an ABOMINATION -- please
 delete it.]  Entering 'su' (or one of its variants) is the traditional way
 to do this -- plus 'su' is supposed to ask for the 'root' password, which
 a casual user is unlikely to know.

 [Do with 'sudo' whatever you like -- it by convention is supposed to ask
 for the *issuing* users own password.  Thus if olpc does not have a
 password, and 'sudo' is issued from olpc, NO password would be asked for.]

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/6319#comment:2>
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