*BSD News Article 60923


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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!nntp.coast.net!zombie.ncsc.mil!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in2.uu.net!netlabs!lwall
From: lwall@netlabs.com (Larry Wall)
Subject: Re: execve() ignores shell script setuid bit
Message-ID: <1996Feb7.202023.10559@netlabs.com>
Reply-To: lwall@sems.com
Organization: Seagate Enterprise Management Software, Cupertino, California.
References: <30FEC809.167EB0E7@lasorda.princeton.edu> <DLpKsB.FF1@ritz.mordor.com> <ufn379r652.fsf@cumulus.sky.bln.sub.org> <4eunul$ggn@blob.best.net>
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 20:20:23 GMT
Lines: 22

In article <4eunul$ggn@blob.best.net>, Matt Dillon <dillon@best.com> wrote:
: :In article <ufn379r652.fsf@cumulus.sky.bln.sub.org>,
: :Martin Ibert <martini@heaven7.snafu.de> wrote:
: :>In article <DLpKsB.FF1@ritz.mordor.com> bet@ritz.mordor.com (Bennett Todd) writes:
: :>
: :>: You'll have to make an executable with a compiled language like C. You can't
: :>: use perl --- it's a #!-magic scripting language.
: :>
: :>You can. There is a special version of perl for suid scripts
: :>(suidperl) that itself is suid to root (and a "real" program). That
: :>will handle all security concerns for you And if the
: :>interpreter itself is suid (rather than the script), it should run alright.
: 
:     The only problem is that suidperl is too dangerous to install.  That
:     is, unless you *want* someone to hack root on your machine...

Well, that's easy to say, but I've never heard of anyone using it to
hack into root anywhere.  If there's a security hole in suidperl, I'd
sure like to know about it.

Larry Wall
lwall@sems.com