Re: [PATCH] new setprocuid syscall

Peter Samuelson (peter@cadcamlab.org)
Tue, 20 Feb 2001 22:19:43 -0600


[BERECZ Szabolcs]
> The conclusion: it's cannot be implemented without slowdown.

Or: it cannot be implemented 100% safely and correctly without slowdown.

If you know the use you wish to put this to, and are willing to risk a
permission check somewhere being confused momentarily by a non-atomic
update of a 32-bit number (or the non-atomic update between several
32-bit numbers, which I think is less serious because then you are not
granting more than the union of the two UIDs) go ahead and patch your
kernel.

> So ignore my patch.

For official kernels, I agree. They need to be as safe and
deterministic as possible, especially security-wise, and a semaphore on
every permission check would be ridiculous.

Peter
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