About /etc/securetty

[ratbs75]

Hi, I wanted to know following (on HP-UX 10.20/trusted system):

in "/etc/securetty" it's written "console". If I put instead: "consol" without 'e' at the end, so i miss-spelled it, does it prevent me once loggout out the console to log in back into the consol???? what's the exact purpose of the securetty......

mtia

 

[ratbs75]

oh, an add-on question: if that word is miss-spelled in the /etc/securetty file, am I still abel to use 'su root' from a telnet session?

 

[crowe]

the purpose of the /etc/securetty file is to specify where root can log in. Many will put "console" in there, so that root can only log in via the console. However this does not stop anyone from su'ing to root. For example, if /etc/securetty has console in it, you could not telnet to the system (non-gsp) and log in as root. You telnet to the system, and log in as user-whatever and then su to root after you are loged in as user-whatever. So the only place root can log in (directly), is at the console.


crowe