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Challenger User
Superuser or Normal User?
Challenger is no exception. It needs superuser privileges for essentially two tasks, opening privileged ports and starting CGI scripts as the user who owns the script. Challenger is written to be able to run as superuser securely, but here, the configurability and extensibility can be problematic. If the server is configured the wrong way, any user who can write web pages can break into the server. Extensions to Challenger that are not written with security in mind might even make it possible for outsiders to break into the server. So lets take a closer look at the two reasons why Challenger needs to be superuser and how Challenger can be run without being superuser.
Privileged Ports
CGI Scripts
Running as a Normal User
Starting as a Normal User
Temporary Changing to a Normal User
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This option should not be used together
with threading. Strange things happen to threaded programs that switch
user.
Permanently Changing to a Normal User
All modules will be loaded while the server is still running as superuser. This means that you still have to trust all the modules you have enabled. It is also important that the Challenger user does not have permission to change the module or any file in server/. Nor should the server be able to change its configurations/Global_Variables file. The first is to ensure that an attacker cannot replace the server with her own program or module. The second is to ensure that an attacker can't change back the setting that makes the user change permanent.
Using Simple Front End
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