[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: "user" and "network layer" security mechanisms.



> NFS is a protocol that isn't suited to securing things on a per-user
> basis, but the key problem is that all NFS authentication is done (for
> practical purposes) by the client, with the server trusting that a
> client that has a file handle is allowed to claim to have any user
> credential it wants. There is no way, in NFS, to do the "logical
> thing" and check cryptographic credentials on a per file basis.

Huh?  The fact that authentication is done at the client is an
implementation detail.  It is implement that way, IMHO, because there
is no "secure" way for the server to know what access rights the
client has.  However, that is in no way a requirement of the NFS
protocol.

You could easily change the RPC Security flavor to do something
different and implement the server such that access checks are
performed there as well.  So, your statement about there being "no
way" is just plain wrong.  OTOH, it would take a lot of programming to
change the implementation to "do the logical thing".  But I believe it
is possible.

-derek