Secure systems management

• US 7,702,912 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Whiteley, James Bart, Danoyan, Alexander Y., Carey, Jon Michael, Isaacson, Scott A., Anderson, Eric W. B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman; Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US11/134,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6281 at program execution time, where the protection is within the operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

To effect a change to the system, a user process makes a request. An interface receives the request, and attempts to authenticate the user. Assuming the user is authenticated, the interface determines the user'"'"'s UID. The interface determines a provider process that can make the requested change, and forwards the request to the provider process. The interface also assigns the user'"'"'s UID to the provider process'"'"'s eUID. The provider process then attempts to make the change, provided the change can be made given the eUID assignment. The provider process then attempts to run under the new eUID, enabling the system to prohibit it from doing something that is not authorized for that user. This protects the system from inadvertently executing management operations by one provider process that is not expected or intended by the user of another provider process.

Claims

1. An apparatus implemented in a computer system, comprising:

a first interface to receive a request from a user process to make a change to a stored file in a system, the user process associated with a user having a user UID;

a provider process to make the change to the stored file in the system, the provider process having a provider process UID and an effective UID;

an authentication module to authenticate the user responsible for the user process;

a UID determiner to determine the user UID of the user responsive to the authentication; and

a second interface to set the effective UID of the provider process to the user UID and forward the request from the user process to the provider process.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second interface is operative to forward the user UID to the provider process.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second interface is operative to reset the effective UID of the provider process to the user UID of the user.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second interface is operative to change the effective UID of the provider process to a root UID to enable the provider process to communicate with the first interface.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the provider process is designed to determine if the user process included a permission necessary to make the change to the system.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the provider process is further designed to reject the change if the user process lacked the permission.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the provider process is further designed to reject the change without causing the provider process to fail for lack of permission.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a client, including the user process requesting the change to the system.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the effective UID causes the provider process to run with reduced privileges.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a request from a user process to make a change to a system, the user process associated with a user having a user UID;

authenticating a user responsible for the user process;

determining the user UID of the user;

forwarding the request to a provider process to make the change to the system, the provider process having a provider process UID and an effective UID;

setting the effective UID of the provider process to the user UID; and

determining whether to perform the request based on the effective UID at the provider process.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein setting the effective UID includes forwarding the user UID to the provider process.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein:

receiving a request includes receiving the request through a connection to a first interface; and

forwarding the request includes forwarding the request to the provider process through a provider interface.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising resetting the effective UID of the provider process to a root UID to communicate with the first interface.

14. A method according to claim 10, further comprising rejecting the change at the provider process if the user process lacks a permission necessary to make the change.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein rejecting the change includes rejecting the change without causing the provider process to fail for lack of permission.

16. A method according to claim 14, further comprising notifying the user process that the provider process could not make the change.

17. An article, comprising:

a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by a machine, result in;

receiving a request from a user process to make a change to a system, the user process associated with a user having a user UID;

authenticating a user responsible for the user process;

determining the user UID of the user;

forwarding the request to a provider process to make the change to the system, the provider process having a provider process UID and an effective UID;

setting the effective UID of the provider process to the user UID; and

determining whether to perform the request based on the effective UID at the provider process.

18. An article according to claim 17, wherein setting the effective UID includes forwarding the user UID to the provider process.

19. An article according to claim 17, wherein:

receiving a request includes receiving the request through a connection to an first interface; and

forwarding the request includes forwarding the request to the provider process through a provider interface.

20. An article according to claim 19, wherein the storage medium has further instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the machine result in resetting the effective UID of the provider process to a root UID to communicate with the first interface.

21. An article according to claim 17, wherein the storage medium has further instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the machine result in rejecting the change at the provider process if the user process lacks a permission necessary to make the change.

22. An article according to claim 21, wherein rejecting the change includes rejecting the change without causing the provider process to fail for lack of permission.

23. An article according to claim 21, wherein the storage medium has further instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the machine result in notifying the user process that the provider process could not make the change.