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Re: Automake security problem


Jim Meyering <meyering@ascend.com> writes:
> Bob Friesenhahn <bfriesen@simple.dallas.tx.us> writes:

> | I am using CVS automake.  After doing a 'make dist', I find that all
> | the files in my source directories are marked world read/write.  This
> | makes it easier for others to add trojan horses to the code I write.

> Ick.  Thanks for providing the impetus finally to fix this.

The permissions set by the distribution process have been discussed a few
times already, with this quote from (standards)Releases in context:

---------------------------------------------------------------------->
   Make sure that the directory into which the distribution unpacks (as
well as any subdirectories) are all world-writable (octal mode 777).
This is so that old versions of `tar' which preserve the ownership and
permissions of the files from the tar archive will be able to extract
all the files even if the user is unprivileged.
----------------------------------------------------------------------<

I find it difficult agreeing with it, nowadays.  Be very sure I'm not
pushing for this either, but maybe you guys are less free than I am :-).

-- 
François Pinard   http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pinard



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