Hi,

The case is that 2.6 selinux enabled kernel but _without_ policy loaded do not allow to change security xattr for root user.

The question is why is that?

I'm asking because for example I'm using pwconv from pwdutils (which replace shadow-utils + have nice selinux support) and pwconv creates temporary file /etc/shadow.tmpWAjQQd + does rename(). Of course pwconv wants to keep security xattr on shadow file intact so it tries to label /etc/shadow.tmpWAjQQd with same security xattr as /etc/shadow has but ... kernel won't allow it to do that! setfilecon -> invalid argument

Solution is to disable copying security xattr in pwconv but then I just loose proper security xattr on shadow and that's bad.

Why such restriction is made in kernel? It doesn't give more security to the system. If I get root account (policy not loaded) then I can do anything like replacing kernel with modified one etc, etc.

Blocking security xattr for root in such case smells like security by obscurity.
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Arkadiusz Mi¶kiewicz CS at FoE, Wroclaw University of Technology arekm.pld-linux.org, 1024/3DB19BBD, JID: arekm.jabber.org, PLD/Linux

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This message was distributed to subscribers of the selinux mailing list. If you no longer wish to subscribe, send mail to majordomo@tycho.nsa.gov with the words "unsubscribe selinux" without quotes as the message. Received on Tue 9 Mar 2004 - 17:30:10 EST