Asking a user for the root password and executing root only c ommands...

[Bengt Richter]

On Wed, 30 Oct 2002 15:50:04 -0600, sismex01 at hebmex.com wrote:

>> From: bokr at oz.net [mailto:bokr at oz.net]
>> 
>> Out of the box my NT handles that better than my OOTB Linux, 
>> which was default configured to shut down. I haven't played
>> with that much. Is there a way to start up a login on
>> Ctrl-Alt-Del (probably meaning take over the video and go
>> into text mode)?
>> 
>> I guess this is a bit OT...
>> 
>> Regards,
>> Bengt Richter
>>
>
>Go into /etc/inittab , there's a line which controls which
>program to run in case the user presses C-A-D, it's plainly
>commented as such. And in case it's not, check init's man
>page, and then inittabs's man page, where it should be
>described.
Yes, it defaulted to "/sbin/shutdown -t5 -rf now" but after
rotating left 90 degrees on my chair from NT and having my
hands do Ctrl-ALt-Del to get past a non-existent locking screensaver
once too many times, it now beeps and says "Don't DO that!!" ;-)

I didn't find an easy option to force a fresh login, but I guess
it could be done, short of shutdown and restart.

Kind of funny (not) that /sbin/shutdown must be run as root,
but by default any doorknob rattler could kick it off with ctrl-alt-del
without being asked for a password. Not a cool default config IMO ;-/

>
>I've thought along those lines, about having a "magic"
>key sequence for logging into the machine, or something like
>that, but Linux is *not* windows, so maybe we shouldn't
>be trying to do things the window's way.

Well, it's not really a windows thing. I mean it's not just a matter
of yet another "magic" start-something-neat-and-glitzy-button.
It ties into formal security requirements. There has to be a way
for you to go up to the computer and know for sure (physical tampering
should be evident by design) that you are logging into an authentic
login program. Pulling the plug and plugging it back in is
not a graceful way to do that ;-)

Regards,
Bengt Richter