[SOLVED] After modifying /etc/sudoers file, new users can not run specified commands

mansour · 04-09-2011, 12:56 PM

Hello:

This is an ubuntu 10.10 notebook edition.
After modifying /etc/sudoers file, new users can not run specified commands.

Code:

# /etc/sudoers
#
# This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.
#
# See the man page for details on how to write a sudoers file.
#

Defaults        env_reset

# Host alias specification

# User alias specification

User_Alias SUDOMODIFIERS = bob, scott

# Cmnd alias specification

Cmnd_Alias SUDOCMDS = /sbin/shutdown, /etc/passwd, /etc/group

# User privilege specification
root    ALL=(ALL) ALL

SUDOMODIFIERS All= SUDOCMDS

#USERS All = SHUTDOWN_CMDS

# Allow members of group sudo to execute any command
# (Note that later entries override this, so you might need to move
# it further down)
%sudo ALL=(ALL) ALL
#
#includedir /etc/sudoers.d

# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

bob and scott can not shut down, nor can they open /etc/passwd or /etc/group files.

mansour

anomie · 04-09-2011, 06:06 PM

Thoughts:

SUDOCMDS looks incorrect to me. You've specified that SUDOMODIFIERS can execute /etc/passwd and /etc/group.
Are you editing /etc/sudoers directly, or are you using visudo(8)? You should only be doing the latter.
Are you sure you want these users to be able to modify /etc/passwd and /etc/group? If so, they should be doing so using vipw(8) and vigr(8), not editing them directly. Also, if so: you are effectively handing over root access to a mischievous user.

mansour · 04-09-2011, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anomie

Thoughts:

SUDOCMDS looks incorrect to me. You've specified that SUDOMODIFIERS can execute /etc/passwd and /etc/group.
Are you editing /etc/sudoers directly, or are you using visudo(8)? You should only be doing the latter.
Are you sure you want these users to be able to modify /etc/passwd and /etc/group? If so, they should be doing so using vipw(8) and vigr(8), not editing them directly. Also, if so: you are effectively handing over root access to a mischievous user.

Hello anomie:

You said SUDOCMDS looks incorrect. How do you mean? what is incorrect?
I am using sudo visudo command actually.

By the way, I am just trying to learn how to do this modification properly, these users aren't real people, and there isn't any critical data here.

mansour

anomie · 04-09-2011, 07:03 PM

The way you've configured sudoers(5), you are saying you want certain users to be able to execute /etc/passwd and /etc/group. That doesn't make sense - neither of those is a script or binary (i.e. executing them is not possible, or even desirable).

Even if you were to give them access to an editor to edit only those two files (by way of a wrapper script), locking this down is still an extremely difficult proposition.

For the sake of learning (on a non-'net connected test system), you might give them access to /usr/sbin/vipw and /usr/sbin/vigr. But I'd advise you to never do this on a production system.

mansour · 04-09-2011, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anomie

The way you've configured sudoers(5), you are saying you want certain users to be able to execute /etc/passwd and /etc/group. That doesn't make sense - neither of those is a script or binary (i.e. executing them is not possible, or even desirable).

Even if you were to give them access to an editor to edit only those two files (by way of a wrapper script), locking this down is still an extremely difficult proposition.

For the sake of learning (on a non-'net connected test system), you might give them access to /usr/sbin/vipw and /usr/sbin/vigr. But I'd advise you to never do this on a production system.

Actually I picked that up on an Internet site about sudoers file. The /etc/passwd and /etc/group I mean. But why is it that these users can not shut down from command line?

mansour

frankbell · 04-09-2011, 09:31 PM

I think the correct syntax for the shutdown command would be something like

Code:

[username] ALL=[path]

as in

Code:

[username]  ALL=/sbin/shutdown

Check where "shutdown" is located in your distro.

mansour · 04-10-2011, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbell

I think the correct syntax for the shutdown command would be something like

Code:

[username] ALL=[path]

as in

Code:

[username]  ALL=/sbin/shutdown

Check where "shutdown" is located in your distro.

Actually here it is,

# All the shutdown commands
Cmnd_Alias SHUTDOWN_CMDS = /sbin/shutdown, /sbin/reboot, /sbin/halt

Based on this Ubuntu community Guide:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Sudoers

mansour

anomie · 04-10-2011, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mansour

Actually I picked that up on an Internet site about sudoers file. The /etc/passwd and /etc/group I mean. But why is it that these users can not shut down from command line?

That's the problem with 'net tutorials. Take them with a grain of salt, and be careful about deploying them without properly testing first (which is what you're doing now).

Are you invoking shutdown(8) using the FQ path?

Code:

$ sudo /sbin/shutdown -h now

EDDY1 · 04-10-2011, 01:57 PM

You have shutdown commands commented out.
remove "#"

Quote:

# User privilege specification
root ALL=(ALL) ALL

SUDOMODIFIERS All= SUDOCMDS

#USERS All = SHUTDOWN_CMDS#

Allow members of group sudo to execute any command
# (Note that later entries override this, so you might need to move
# it further down)
%sudo ALL=(ALL) ALL
#
#includedir /etc/sudoers.d

# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

mansour · 04-10-2011, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anomie

That's the problem with 'net tutorials. Take them with a grain of salt, and be careful about deploying them without properly testing first (which is what you're doing now).

Are you invoking shutdown(8) using the FQ path?

Code:

$ sudo /sbin/shutdown -h now

No I wasn't, but then I tested the FQ path after seeing your post, and still didn't work.

$ sudo /sbin/shutdown -h now

mansour

mansour · 04-10-2011, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDDY1

You have shutdown commands commented out.
remove "#"

No that was a different set of commands I commented out.

Code:

                                                           

# /etc/sudoers
#
# This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.
#
# See the man page for details on how to write a sudoers file.
#

Defaults        env_reset

# Host alias specification

# User alias specification

# User_Alias SUDOMODIFIERS = mdav

User_Alias USERS = scott, bob

# Cmnd alias specification

# Cmnd_Alias SUDOCMDS = /sbin/shutdown

Cmnd_Alias SHUTDOWN_CMDS = /sbin/shutdown, /sbin/reboot, /sbin/halt

# User privilege specification
root    ALL=(ALL) ALL

# SUDOMODIFIERS All= SUDOCMDS

USERS All = SHUTDOWN_CMDS

#USERS All = SHUTDOWN_CMDS

# Allow members of group sudo to execute any command
# (Note that later entries override this, so you might need to move
# it further down)
%sudo ALL=(ALL) ALL
#
#includedir /etc/sudoers.d

# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

mansour

anomie · 04-11-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mansour

No I wasn't, but then I tested the FQ path after seeing your post, and still didn't work.

How's that? Error message?

frankbell · 04-11-2011, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mansour

# All the shutdown commands
Cmnd_Alias SHUTDOWN_CMDS = /sbin/shutdown, /sbin/reboot, /sbin/halt

Thanks.

mansour · 04-12-2011, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anomie

How's that? Error message?

"new user (bob) does not have sudo powers, incident will be reported", this is the message I am getting.

And he can not shut down from command line, or even soft shut down.

mansour

SL00b · 04-13-2011, 09:05 AM

Apparently you're not using visudo to edit this. The syntax of your statement "SUDOMODIFIERS All= SUDOCMDS" looks strange, because the spaces are off around the = sign and the "All" is mixed case. So I opened my sudoers file in visudo, and while it didn't mind the spacing, it did mind the mixed case. When I changed "All" to all caps, it was fine. Try making that fix yourself and see how it works out. Also, use visudo to edit it, instead of vi/vim.

As mentioned before, you can't use sudo to control access to individual files, because sudo only focuses on rights to execute programs, so the references to /etc/passwd and /etc/group can be removed. That means that all you're trying to accomplish here is to grant two users access to the shutdown command, which can be accomplished a lot simpler. Just create a user group (for the purposes of this example, we'll call it "shutdown"), and add this line to the user privilege section:

Code:

# User privilege specification
root    ALL=(ALL) ALL
%shutdown       ALL = /sbin/shutdown

The Cmnd Alias specifications are all well and good when you need to grant users access to long lists of commands, but since you're only doing one here, it's overkill.