Virtual Terminal Driver Keyboard Security (2.0.32)

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Hi,

Imagine the following: A user changes the key mapping of the Linux console completely using loadkeys. He putīs some "echo "blabla" >/etc/passwd" on any often used key. After that root logs in on the console and hits that key. What happens? Exactly. Root has to deal with that exploited keymap. It doesnīt matter which one of the virtual consoles she uses because Linux uses a shared keymap buffer for all these consoles.

But why should any user change the keyboard mapping at all? isnīt that a point of system administration?

The following patches fix this problem for 2.0.32 and 2.1.69. They permit changing the keyboard mapping as a user.

Thanks to Roman Drahtmueller who wrote the 2.0 patch :-)

Please tell me your opinions about that...