Hi Gustin :)

security indeed is an solid argument. When I fetch mails, I always get
more spam than wanted mails and this might be, because of the thousands
of unprotected Windows desktop computers. I'm a Suse user for years and
a long time ago, there was a full discussion about AppArmor
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparmor). Suse comes with AppAmor and a
firewall by default. IMHO the desire for security can become neurotic.
If I leave home I'm unarmed, even if I know that it's possible to get
attacked. In the time when I don't had a Windows install, I anyhow
scanned my Linux by AntiVir, to be sure that I don't forward infected
mails to Windows users, but I didn't use the AntiVir guard for my Linux.

On the computer sometimes I need to be protected against myself.
Sometime ago I tidied up temporary files and caches. I was half asleep
and unintentional I deleted /cache in /var. No security system can ban
such stupid doings. I did know about the files and folders I deleted, it
wasn't because of ignorance. It's human nature to be an unconcentrated
idiot sometimes. I don't think I will do the same stupid thing again ;).
Such auto-education has the effect of learning. Specific default
settings to prevent against something nobody really can be prevented
against don't has any learning effect. Just my opinion.

Gustin Johnson wrote:
> Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> > Gustin Johnson wrote:
> >> I do not wish to assist people into reducing their security further.
> > What's less secure if I have a user without superuser permissions and a
> > superuser account that I only will use if there is the need to. It's
> > more safe than the way it's for Ubuntu.
>
> >> If someone can make such an educated decision, they certainly do not
> >> need my help.
> > That reminds me to a discussion. I once would someone tell how to get
> > access to his Linux, while he has forgotten his passwords, but I wasn't
> > allowed to do this in an open forum, with a similar argument to yours,
> > plus the argument he might illegal hack a Linux of someone else. But
> > back to the topic. Why it's less secure the way "normal" Linux like
>
> It could be argued that Ubuntu is "normal" since it is currently the
> most popular distro.

You are right, but I guess you are able to understand what I wanted to
say between the lines ;). Linux, resp. UNIX started as a secure system
for servers and a strict separation between administrator and user.
having a user and a superuser IMHO is more safe than to have a user with
some permissions of a superuser. I don't understand why a younger distro
needs to change this and what's better with this.

> > Debian, Suse and a lot of others do it, resp. what's more save if a user
> > only needs to type sudo? I don't want to have other people on my
> > computer being able to do things that only a superuser should be allowed
> > to do.
>
> sudo can be restricted to only run certain apps by certain users or
> groups.  Su is an all or nothing proposition, you either have complete
> access or you don't.  Sudo is a very powerful application that is allows
> one to fine tune who exactly has access to what.  Sudo also provides an
> audit trail, which is probably not of interest to many on this list, but
> is useful. I cannot possibly do it justice here, but you can find more
> information on sudo here:
> http://www.gratisoft.us/sudo/
>
> By the way, only the first user created by the Ubuntu installer has
> access to sudo.

Okay, this has some advantages, but than it would be good to have at
least a second user account.

> > Your argument is paradox to the situation it's for Ubuntu. Ubuntu is
> > less secure, because ther's no superuser account.
>
> The superuser account exists, you are just not allowed to login to it
> *by default*.  Your conclusion is wrong because your argument is based
> on an incorrect understanding of the mechanisms involved.  If you are
> genuinely curious then I would suggest you start by learning about PAM,
> sudo, and visudo (what you use to configure sudo).
>
> Of course you are free to do whatever you want to your system.

Cheers,
Ralf

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