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From: Tom N on 25 Jan 2008 06:41
On 2008-01-25, Manuel Reimer <mreimer(a)expires-31-01-2008.news-group.org> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> X.Org has published a security advisory, which informs about several
> vulnerabilities in the X server, which could cause privilege escalation:
>
> http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xorg/2008-January/031918.html
>
> So far, there is no patch for Slackware available. Just publishing here,
> for the case, someone has missed it and wants to create a new package on
> his own.
>
> CU
>
> Manuel (who hopes, we'll soon get a patch...)
>

Thanks for your good intentions.

I just checked in the closet and under the bed. No malicious hackers
there.

Do you think they might be disguised as ordinary pieces of furniture?
Or maybe they are in the basement dressed up to resemble earwigs
and salamanders?

I've seen a thousand security alerts like this, and ignored every one
of them and all the supposed sage advice of the security experts and
just exercised common sense.

Never had a problem.

Even if I did, and some malicious hacker took over my OS and even
destroyed it, so what? I have backups.

It really isn't worth having a tizzy fit and spending my life
knocking myself out trying to plug alleged security holes every
time some paranoid thinks I should.

Near as I can tell the paranoid security experts and the malicious
hackers are the same people....I don't trust either group.

Just like I don't trust cops or criminals in the real world.

As for X, I keep its networking functionality turned off (port
6000 tcp) except when I'm expecting a remote user to connect.
And even with it open I have to specifically make a door in
my firewall for it, so I don't have much to worry about...

No one I don't really trust is ever allowed to login to my box, here
or remotely.

Tom

--
calhobbit
at gee mail dot com



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at gee mail dot com

From: Beej Jorgensen on 25 Jan 2008 11:16
Tom N <tom(a)somewhere.invalid> wrote:
>Even if I did, and some malicious hacker took over my OS and even
>destroyed it, so what? I have backups.

What if they take over your computer and do something illegal with it?
Then you'll have some 'splaining to do.

-Beej

From: Henrik Carlqvist on 25 Jan 2008 15:24
Tom N <tom(a)somewhere.invalid> wrote:
> Even if I did, and some malicious hacker took over my OS and even
> destroyed it, so what? I have backups.

Good for you, you can enjoy your lonely life with your computer. You don't
have to worry about if you, the single user on your computer will
become root without permission.

Others, who are responsible for many computers in a corporate or school
environment will have to take messages like this more seriously. In those
environments most users are not supposed to have root privilegies. Also,
in those environments you must assume there are people who wants to gain
information they shouldn't have.

regards Henrik
--
The address in the header is only to prevent spam. My real address is:
hc3(at)poolhem.se Examples of addresses which go to spammers:
root(a)localhost postmaster(a)localhost

From: Tom N on 25 Jan 2008 20:54
On 2008-01-25, Beej Jorgensen <beej(a)beej.us> wrote:
> Tom N <tom(a)somewhere.invalid> wrote:
>>Even if I did, and some malicious hacker took over my OS and even
>>destroyed it, so what? I have backups.
>
> What if they take over your computer and do something illegal with it?
> Then you'll have some 'splaining to do.

Golly! What if a meteor fell out of the sky and hit me on the head?

Paranoia has no limits. I don't play that foolish game.

Wasn't I clear in my first post, Henny Penny?

Tom

--
calhobbit
at gee mail dot com

From: Tom N on 25 Jan 2008 20:54
On 2008-01-25, Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.Carlqvist(a)deadspam.com> wrote:
> Tom N <tom(a)somewhere.invalid> wrote:
>> Even if I did, and some malicious hacker took over my OS and even
>> destroyed it, so what? I have backups.
>
> Good for you, you can enjoy your lonely life with your computer. You don't
> have to worry about if you, the single user on your computer will
> become root without permission.
>
> Others, who are responsible for many computers in a corporate or school
> environment will have to take messages like this more seriously. In those
> environments most users are not supposed to have root privilegies. Also,
> in those environments you must assume there are people who wants to gain
> information they shouldn't have.

And assume they have the skills to do it.

And that no one is monitoring their activities.

The first is rare and the second would be irresponsible.
You can't patch every potential security hole, but you
CAN monitor the users. And that's the responsibility
of the administrators, is it not?

Tom

--
calhobbit
at gee mail dot com

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