Could sudo be modified to give instant root access?
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Could sudo be modified to give instant root access?
Been wondering this for a while, and seems pretty straightforward. Why hasn't someone modified the freely available sudo source, took out the part where it asks for the user's password, compile it, and use it on most any box to instantly gain root privileges? If this does work, I'd like to try it on Android to see how far I can get.
The sudo binary needs to be setuid root to evalate privileges of the user running the command. You can't install sudo on a system that you don't already have root access to because you won't be able to install the binary setuid root.
The sudo binary needs to be setuid root to evalate privileges of the user running the command. You can't install sudo on a system that you don't already have root access to because you won't be able to install the binary setuid root.
Ah, OK. So it's not as simple as deleting a few lines of code and (re)compiling?
Ah, OK. So it's not as simple as deleting a few lines of code and (re)compiling?
You are right, there is no way to modify a few lines of code and rebuild - to achieve it. sudo should be installed by root first, and also root can configure it to skip that step (so that feature is already implemented, but by default not in use).
It's already quite easy for most people to gain root access. Simply do sudo su and enter your own login password (if you have one), and ... there you are.
Mind you, it shouldn't be that easy ... it shouldn't be possible at all. But many Unix/Linux/OSX users are just as lazy as the next bloke.
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