[techtalk] no modem etc

[Eric Baudais]

On Fri, 7 Apr 2000 dynamix at iinet.net.au wrote:

> I have one problem and one question..
> the easy question first...
> If I go to shutdown i get asked for root's password.( i have set my user
> self as super user equiv).obviously a security feature..........
> BUT why can ANY user just go CTL-ALT-DEL and the machine will end
> processes
> and dismount etc and reboot....one can just hit the power button once it
> cycles out of the OS ....???Im a bit puzzled at what seems such an
> obvious way to beat security....
> Ive tired it on at least 4 different distro's....
> puzzled.............

You can remap <ctl> <alt> <del> in linux.  Look at /etc/inittab and you
will find these two lines.

# What to do when CTRL-ALT-DEL is pressed.
ca:12345:ctrlaltdel:/sbin/shutdown -t1 -a -r now

You can comment it out ir remap it to another program, like a script that
logs who and when pressed it.

If the console is in a place where other people can easily get access to
it and you are worried about security there are many programs, for X and
tty*, that lock the console out with a password.

An example of a locking program for Linux's virtual consoles is lockvc.
An example of a locking program for X is xlock.

Hope this helps,
Eric Baudais