root access issue

Forum: HD Install
Topic: root access issue
started by: Traveller

Posted by Traveller on Dec. 13 2005,15:15

i've got the root account secured with an eighteen-character alpha-numeric password. the right click menu in DSL still allows starting several programs as root without asking for a password. any "sudo" or "su" commands ask for the password. i have to type it in right too. but as user dsl i can start a root shell and delete files as root, even removing a defunct user directory. how do i disable the menu links that do this?

edit: this is running FluxBox, on DSL 2.0. now i feel silly (forgetting to give basic info) after having done informal tech support for StarCraft modders.

Posted by mikshaw on Dec. 13 2005,15:52

If those menu items still allow dsl to open a root shell, then "sudo commandname" is not asking for a password. You can try the "visudo" command as root, and remove "NOPASSWD" from dsl's section of /etc/sudoers. This will most likely cause some applications run from menu or icon to fail without a noticeable error, since (i think) stdout from some of them will go to the login shell. Although i haven't tested it, i think emelfm as superuser will not work unless it is started from a terminal. The root X shells should work, though, as well as installing mydsl apps from within emelfm. Midnight Commander is a visual shell itself, so anything run from that should provide you a password prompt. One of these days i'm going to test it out to see just what the affects are =o)

Posted by Traveller on Dec. 13 2005,16:01

thanks for the suggestion. i'll i'd like to remove those options from the menu completely though.

Posted by Traveller on Dec. 14 2005,15:40

i double-checked my comp. it does ask for the password when i attempt anything from a command-line. but it will launch some apps straight into root. like a shell. and emelfm. and midnight commander. is this due to the app that launches them is running as root and is therefore able to spawn an app with root privileges?
seriously, and su or sudo requires a password but that right-click menu will launch a root shell.

edit: i may have found something. the things that are giving the problem are apparently part of fluxbox's menu. after finding out what to search for with Google, i've found some resources on how to alter the menu to remove certain options. i'll try it and report back. i love being able to change my comp.

Posted by Traveller on Dec. 15 2005,14:40

it was fluxbox's menu that allowed it. it's nice knowing that i can change the menu, but i don't know about letting it spawn root shells. i also couldn't get into sudoers. i only have dsl and root as users. anyway, problem solved by "customizing" (read: deleting sections of) the menu.