Login thru telnet as root

uprichard · 05-03-2002, 06:49 PM

Can someone tell me if it is possible (if so how) to change the security so that someone telneting to the machine can login as root.

Currently it says that the login is incorrect.

zmedico · 05-03-2002, 08:04 PM

Just telnet as a normal user, then use "su" to become root. Careful though, this is insecure. ssh is more secure than telnet.

uprichard · 05-03-2002, 08:13 PM

I could do that but I am trying to do some automation with Perl.

I only need to run one command so I would rather login as root and not have to change users.

Dont want to use SSH as at some point I will need to be able to access other systems that do not support SSH.

trickykid · 05-03-2002, 10:52 PM

i believe you can edit your /etc/securetty file accordingly...

unSpawn · 05-04-2002, 07:12 AM

I could do that but I am trying to do some automation with Perl. I only need to run one command so I would rather login as root and not have to change users.
Aka "I don't care about compromising security as I'm lazy *and* single minded as well, and would only like to finish this task, so don't stop bothering me and answer my question."

Dont want to use SSH as at some point I will need to be able to access other systems that do not support SSH.
Aka "I think I have an excuse for *not* using SSH, and I don't care how feeble it is and I don't know how to operate SSH."

There is *no* excuse degrading your boxes security by allowing plaintext telnet traffic as user or root, if you are working on a LAN with access to the internet or a LAN that has untrusted users on it, so I urge you to trade telnet access in for SSH. Allowing telnet is a Bad Thing, and allowing root to telnet in opens your boxes up to password guessing for example by brute force attacking.

Lazarus · 05-04-2002, 11:11 AM

You can comment out the line in /etc/pam.d containing
pam.securitty.so. The 1st line in RH 7.2 i use.
The use of telnet is frowned on as insecure. If you are not
connecting the compuer to the wide world should be ok
otherwise risky especialy as root!!

tyler_durden · 05-07-2002, 01:05 PM

Quote:

I only need to run one command so I would rather login as root and not have to change users.

First, there are some ways around this. write a script that runs the command then suid it root. This is at least more secure than transmitting your password so the whole world can see it. This can be done in c with about 3 minutes worth of work

unSpawn · 05-07-2002, 07:34 PM

write a script that runs the command then suid it root.
...ok, so for instance you don't check your input and someone attaches some extra arguments... Sure it won't allow users to fsck up major?

frieza · 05-07-2002, 07:38 PM

just rename the /etc/secruretty to something else like /etc/securetty.old if the /etc/securetty file can't be found, then by default root can log in from anywhere, but i wouldn't recommend doing this too often unless you don't care if your computer is hacked. after all it's your system, you can do with it whatever you want

tyler_durden · 05-08-2002, 01:25 AM

Quote:

...ok, so for instance you don't check your input and someone attaches some extra arguments... Sure it won't allow users to fsck up major?

well, first, its better then telnetting root.

second, you can control the permisions of the script so only a certian user can run it.

i agree its not the best option out there, but its better then the alternitives presented so far.

unSpawn · 05-08-2002, 11:42 AM

()but its better then the alternitives presented so far.

I disagree. The best alternative, as presented in the 1st reply, is to use *ssh*.

uprichard · 05-09-2002, 01:12 PM

Thanks for all the help.

As the machines are in our internal QA lab I have no issues about security. So I went with the option of changing /etc/securetty