X Windows System Administrator's Guide, Vol 8 (Definitive Guides to the X Window System)
by Linda Mui, Eric Pearce
4
Security
Because X runs in a networked environment, it's particularly important that administrators be aware of its security lapses and how to reduce the risks of running X. This chapter discusses security issues as they relate to X.
In This Chapter:
Problems with Host-based Access Control
Access Control with MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1
Using MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 with xdm
Using MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 with xinit
The XDM-AUTHORIZATION-1 Mechanism (R5)
Prerequisites for Using SUN-DES-1
Adding Another User with SUN-DES-1
The Console xterm (R4 and Earlier)
Hanging the Server Remotely (R3)
4
Security
X runs in a networked environment. Because of X's design, your workstation is no longer your private preserve but hypothetically can be accessed by any other host on the network. If you are on the Internet, your display may be accessible world-wide. This is the true meaning of the server concept: your display can serve clients on any system, and clients on your system can display on any other screen.
The possibilities for abuse are considerable. When our office was introduced to ...
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