Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (3394 mails)

[sander.van.vugt@xxxxxxxx (Sander van Vugt)]

> LOL; perhaps it's not as simple as making a connection to the box and
walking
> in `the front door', as Jerry put it, but it's certainly unwise.  Anyway,
why
> are you asking?  Why would you log in as root unless you are doing
> *system*administration*?  The root account (AKA Super User account) is
*ONLY*
> for system administration when a privelaged user is not enough.  Any time
you
> use the root account, you're asking for real trouble, with or without an
> Internet connection.

You're perfectly right when you say that you only have to log in as root to
do system administration, I totally agree, but the reason I am asking is
that some people say you make it easy for a cracker to abuse your system
when you are logged in as root and I have never heard any reasons why
exactly that is so. Yes, I know you can do some really stupid things to your
own system when you have to many rights on it, but it simply seems like a
*myth* that my system is easier to hack when I'm logged in as root, so
please, if it can be done, give me examples of *how* my system can be hacked
then.

As for why I'm asking? I consider Linux a good and secure system (if
configured the right way), and I really like to know about weak point. Being
logged in as root which gives more opportunities for the hacker seems a weak
point to me. Luckily, I didn't hear anyone explain as for now where exactly
this weak point exists and how a hacker can abuse it.

Sander

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