On Tue, 29 Feb 2000, VIBHU RISHI used an e-pen to say :
>umm. something I don't get. How is it "too difficult" to get in ? I mean
>a virus is something which will exeute itself to create harm. So, in
>Linux, you could have some script that runs a daemon to cause trouble.
>Am i right ? if so, then why has such things not happened ?
>
>just curious.
>
>vibhu..
The main reason why virii are not a menace are perms or more
latitudinally permissions. When you are logged on as user X you have
restricted access to computer resources. By computer resources, you could
think of hardware resources such as CPU time, or s/w resources such as
files. So it is _not_ possible for you harm some other usrs data .
Whatever you do restricts you to your "userspace" (used in a loose sense,
kernel ppl don't jump.)
But as root .. you have tremendous (often under estimated) control over
the resources and one slip of your finger .. you can run havoc. So the
entire paradigm of virii like activity in UNIX/Linux is based on the
paradigm of gaining a root shell. See www.rootshell.com for more details.
Another reason is that the kernel is rendered to so much inspection of
kernel hackers throughout, that using system calls (the only way of yours
going anywhere near the kernel) is considered very safe. So you can
trust the kernel to be quite a secure beast.
Shourya
____________________________________________________________
Shourya Sarcar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <Tel:91-033-4710477>
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Jadavpur University Calcutta, India 700 032
All the world's a stage..
And I am acting tonight
C - the difference : http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html
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