X windows a security risk?

aneikei · 09-10-2003, 08:24 PM

is X windows a security risk and if so how do you uninstall it in Redhat 8?

Demonbane · 09-10-2003, 08:59 PM

IMO anything that has some sort of networking capability can be a potential security risk. But I definitely prefer having GUI on the machine I work(play) on.

wapcaplet · 09-10-2003, 09:16 PM

I suppose it could be, as noted. It's probably not enough of a risk to worry about unless you're talking about running it on some server that needs to have super-tight security, in which case you're probably not using it for its GUI capabilities anyway

darthtux · 09-10-2003, 11:44 PM

X Windows itself will not make your computer insecure. Things such as choosing an easy to guess password, not having a firewall, etc. will

For a good doc try
http://www.linuxsecurity.com/docs/Se...dminGuide.html

wapcaplet · 09-11-2003, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by darthtux
X Windows itself will not make your computer insecure. Things such as choosing an easy to guess password, not having a firewall, etc. will

Well, running X does potentially open up port 6000; if you're running X apps remotely, there's another possible security concern, depending on how secure the network communication channel is.