[169] in RedHat Linux List
re: rhosts
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (bilker@bigfoot.com)
Mon Oct 21 18:37:05 1996
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 02:52:22 -0700
To: redhat-list@redhat.com
From: bilker@bigfoot.com
Resent-From: redhat-list@redhat.com
Reply-To: redhat-list@redhat.com
Ambrose Au <linuxer@geocities.com> writes:
> I'm using the RH 4.0. I'm having trouble getting my .rhosts file to work.
>
> I put both:
> ipaddress username
> hostname uesername
>
> but still can't rlogin without password.
The tricky thing about `.rhosts' files is that they must NOT be readable
by any other than owner (mode "-rw-------", or 0600). If an .rhosts
file is readable, then rlogin doesn't use it, and requires a password.
This is documented, but being somewhat obscure, is easy to miss.
The motivation for this requirement is a marginal increase in security.
If someone breaks into a non-root account, she could try and read .rhosts
files, picking up information that might help the culprit break into
other systems. Therefore, if a .rhosts file is readable, it contains
no information. :)
[ I'm assuming here that you've set up the /etc/hosts.equiv file. If not,
read the man page for that. ]
Bill Kerr
bilker@bigfoot.com
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