begin  quoting Wade Curry as of Sat, Nov 26, 2005 at 03:13:45PM -0800:
[snip]
> As powerful as RACF is (MVS security product), people still are
> able to break and abuse it regularly.  Being based on ACLs really
> is a huge benefit, though.

Anything resembling a CL (capabilities list)?
 
> The way the mainframers think about password and data security is a
> little different, though.  It is common with Linux to see a
> group created to provide access to files, and then add a user to
> the groups that allow appropriate access.  Mainframers see groups
> as defining the function of the person.  Everyone belongs to one
> -and only one- group.  Each dataset profile then has an entry
> defining the type of access for each and every user or group that
> needs it.

Part of this comes from (I suspect) the security models in those
communities.  Linux is user-centric: I want access to THOSE files
and I don't want YOU to access them.

Mainframes probably hew a bit closer to Orange Book specifications;
and a big component of _that_ is covert channel mitigation.  Having
a user belong to separate groups is just *asking* for covert channel
headaches.

-Stewart "DEC had a VAX kernel rated at A1, but nobody wanted it" Stremler


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