0000505: Add support for one applet being setuid for only some users

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Category

Severity

Reproducibility

Date Submitted

Last Update

0000505

[BusyBox] New Features

feature

N/A

10-26-05 19:47

11-26-06 11:42

Reporter

akvadrako

View Status

public

Assigned To

BusyBox

Priority

normal

Resolution

won't fix

Status

closed

Product Version

Summary

0000505: Add support for one applet being setuid for only some users

Description

Hello. I have a minimal system that does allow logins. Some of the users should be able to run route and change the default gateway, but other users should be able to run route and only display the current routes. Another example is mount. Anyone should be able to run mount to as an alternative to "cat /proc/mounts".

This is currently not possible with busybox's setuid support and I have resorted to installing sudo. I propose changing the SUID configuration support to be more like sudo, where some users (or groups) are granted superuser rights and others are not on the same applet.

I envision this to be an extension to the SUID section like:

joe = (root)mount,route (httpd,ftp)kill
%wheel = (ALL)vi

This sample config would allow joe to run mount and route as root and kill at httpd or ftp. Members of the group wheel could run vi as any user. This is very close to sudo syntax, but without the host specifier. The user defaults to root if not given. In addition the command specification could include arguments, like: "%wheel = killall sshd"

There is the one issue of who will joe run as if he uses kill. Ideally these commands would be run with the privileges of all the users specified at once, but that isn't possible under linux. So instead by default joe would run mount as root, and kill as himself. But by running busybox with the -u option, he could be a non-default user. Or there could be an environmental change, say, BBRUNAS. Or there could just be a separate sudo applet that behaves much like it's full-fledged counterpart, but that isn't as ideal because I find in day to day use, I always forget to type sudo before a command.

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Notes
(0001137) vodz 02-21-06 02:40	Hmm. For set "busybox" applet eq "sudo" applet? ;-)

(0001805) vda 11-26-06 11:41	It's a featuritis. If I will ever need to allow specific user to e.g. reconfigure routing, I will do it via my favorite toys from runit: a service with control socket chown'ed so that user joe is allowed to send a "sv up" command to the service, which will then perform the requested action. Service is typically runs under root and therefore can do whatever is needed, and at the same time it is cofigured (run script is written) by root, so we don't open any holes for joe. (Of course, security-concerned admin usually uses "exec setuidgid ... cmd ..." in run script of a service). Why is this better? Because it is attainable with only shell scripting, today.

Issue History
Date Modified	Username	Field	Change
10-26-05 19:47	akvadrako	New Issue
10-26-05 19:47	akvadrako	Status	new => assigned
10-26-05 19:47	akvadrako	Assigned To	=> BusyBox
02-21-06 02:40	vodz	Note Added: 0001137
11-26-06 11:41	vda	Note Added: 0001805
11-26-06 11:42	vda	Status	assigned => closed
11-26-06 11:42	vda	Resolution	open => won't fix