Pipe 2Y8 Lack of GUI Isolation as Linux security flaw

Lack of GUI Isolation as Linux security flaw

by
in security on (#2Y8)
Here's a little something to sour your morning coffee with the acid taste of anxiety: an interesting piece by Joanna Rutkowska pointing out what she claims is an inherent security flaw in the X Window GUI model :
... Start another terminal window, and switch to root (e.g. using su, or sudo). Notice how the xinput running as user is able to sniff all your keystrokes, including root password (for su), and then all the keystrokes you enter in your root session. Start some GUI app as root, or as different user, again notice how your xinput can sniff all the keystrokes you enter to this other app!

I never knew this and am not aware of much discussion going on about the issue. Is this a fundamental flaw that Windows Vista addresses more successfully, as the author claims, or has the time truly come to do away with the X Window model and develop something else?

History


Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /var/pipedot/include/diff.php on line 25

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiff::$granularityStack is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 217

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiff::$edits is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 218

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiff::$from_text is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 219

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiff::$last_edit is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 372

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiff::$stackpointer is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 373

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiff::$from_offset is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 375

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffReplaceOp::$fromLen is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 126

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffReplaceOp::$text is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 127

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffCopyOp::$len is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 155

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffReplaceOp::$fromLen is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 126

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffReplaceOp::$text is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 127

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffCopyOp::$len is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 155

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffReplaceOp::$fromLen is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 126

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffReplaceOp::$text is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 127

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffCopyOp::$len is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 155

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property FineDiffInsertOp::$text is deprecated in /var/pipedot/lib/finediff/finediff.php on line 104
2014-04-18 12:01
Lack of GUI Isolation as Linux security flaw
zafiro17@pipedot.org
Here's a little something to sour your morning coffee with the acid taste of anxiety: an interesting piece by Joanna Rutkowska pointing out what she claims is an inherent security flaw in the X Window GUI model :
... Start another terminal window, and switch to root (e.g. using su, or sudo). Notice how the xinput running as user is able to sniff all your keystrokes, including root password (for su), and then all the keystrokes you enter in your root session. Start some GUI app as root, or as different user, again notice how your xinput can sniff all the keystrokes you enter to this other app!

I never knew this and am not aware of much discussion going on about the issue. Is this a fundamental flaw that Windows Vista addresses more successfully, as the author claims, or has the time truly come to do away with the X Window model and develop something else? Did the UNIX-Haters Handbook get this one right?
Reply 0 comments