Re: [cobalt-developers] root access problem

["Taco Scargo" <taco.scargo@xxxxxxx>]

You can also install an ssh package and login as root directly to have a
look ...
Good luck !

With regards,

Taco Scargo
Professional Services Manager, EMEA

Sun Microsystems
Sun Cobalt Server Appliances
----- Original Message -----
From: "shimi" <shimi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <cobalt-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2001 21:52
Subject: Re: [cobalt-developers] root access problem


>
> On Fri, 22 Jun 2001, [iso-8859-1] Edgar F. Flores Muñoz wrote:
>
> > Recently when trying to change me to root this error does appear, does
> > somebody know to what it is or as I can correct it?
> >
> > [admin admin]$ su -
> > Password:
> > su: warning: cannot change directory to /root: Permission denied
> > su: cannot set groups: Operation not permitted
> >
> > Ahead of time I thank you the help.
> > Ed
> >
> In theory, such thing would happen if you remove the suid ("sticky") bit
> from the program "su". Why do I say theory? Because it would be stupid to
> do so if you're unable to login directly (i.e. you connect to the machine
> remotely) - because you block yourself out of root in that case.
>
> Uhm if that's the case, the only way I can think of is to have the machine
> booted as single user mode, and chmod +s su back...
>
> If YOU didn't chmod -s su yourself, I would say you got hacked, and the
> script kiddie who did that probably set himself some other executable that
> will give him root priviliges while you can't get to them. It's a smart
> thing to do to cobalts, as it's not easy like in regular servers (who has
> a CRT) to login on the console with them - especially for people who take
> cobalts as appliance and has no knowledge in linux/computers, and rely on
> the GUI.
>
> HTH,
>
> - shimi
>
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