Re: [HACKERS] Simplify ACL handling for large objects and removal of superuser() checks - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Tom Lane
Subject Re: [HACKERS] Simplify ACL handling for large objects and removal of superuser() checks
Date
Msg-id 24479.1510275610@sss.pgh.pa.us
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: [HACKERS] Simplify ACL handling for large objects and removal ofsuperuser() checks  (Stephen Frost <sfrost@snowman.net>)
Responses Re: [HACKERS] Simplify ACL handling for large objects and removal ofsuperuser() checks  (Michael Paquier <michael.paquier@gmail.com>)
List pgsql-hackers
Stephen Frost <sfrost@snowman.net> writes:
> I'm guessing no, which essentially means that *we* consider access to
> lo_import/lo_export to be equivilant to superuser and therefore we're
> not going to implement anything to try and prevent the user who has
> access to those functions from becoming superuser.  If we aren't willing
> to do that, then how can we really say that there's some difference
> between access to these functions and being a superuser?

We seem to be talking past each other.  Yes, if a user has malicious
intentions, it's possibly to parlay lo_export into obtaining a superuser
login (I'm less sure that that's necessarily true for lo_import).
That does NOT make it "equivalent", except perhaps in the view of someone
who is only considering blocking malevolent actors.  It does not mean that
there's no value in preventing a task that needs to run lo_export from
being able to accidentally destroy any data in the database.  There's a
range of situations where you are concerned about accidents and errors,
not malicious intent; but your argument ignores those use-cases.

To put it more plainly: your argument is much like saying that a person
who knows a sudo password might as well do everything they ever do as
root.
        regards, tom lane


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