On Fri, Jan 28, 2005 at 06:52:20PM -0800, Todd Walton wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 17:08:07 -0800 (PST), Neil Schneider
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > 
> > Todd Walton said:
> > > What security could regularly erasing the .bash_history offer?
> > 
> > Log in as root, and do "history | less". How much of that information
> > would you like to have known by the next person logging in as root?
> 
> In my case, I would be the next person logging in as root.  And in any
> case, if a person has root access, don't they implicitly have
> permission to know about anything "root" should know about?
> 
> > In the case of a hacked box, if .bash_history exists there can be a lot
> > of information that makes it easier to further compromise the system.
> 
> Shut the barn door!  The horses are out!
> 
> Or something...
> 

I agree with you about the root thing, although it's a good practice not
to leave anything sharp lying around. 

More to the point in history, especially if you use sudo, many times one
(that's me, maybe you) types a password at the prompt by accident.
Passwords in history are Bad Things. Either wipe the history immediately
or get in the habit of wiping it periodically.

In a multiuser machine, enforcing a periodic wipe is not a bad idea.

-- 
Lan Barnes                    [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Linux Guy, SCM Specialist     858-354-0616
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