[GRLUG] Distro's - was GRLUG test comment

[Tim Schmidt]

On 5/4/06, Ron Lauzon <rlauzon at gmail.com> wrote:
> I didn't like the "You want to do something that you normally don't do,
> but just type in your password and I'll let you do it."  So there's
> basically no root security.

Wow.  Where are you guys getting this?  Sudo is slightly _more_ secure
than having a seperate root account.

> I can see why they did this, though.  It's more Windows-ish and the home
> users will have an easier time of it.

Sudo is not Windows-ish at all.  The combination of sudo, gksudo, and
nice integration with applications that need elevated privilages is
similarly simple, however.

> Now, you CAN go back in and change the root user's password.  Then you
> can su to root without problem.  But you don't need to be root to do
> that.  Bad.

Actually, you do.  Using sudo elevates your privilages to the level of
root.  You can't change root's password any other way.  And if you do
that, you've thrown the security benefit of denying attempts to
escalate privilages through the root account out the window.

--tim