What kind of Damage can a non-admin user do to a Linux system?

[ScottyK]

My friends and family are taking notice to how well my Kubuntu system runs compared to their windows computers, and have begun to ask me about Linux.

Let's say I build a Kubuntu system for a friend, get it all updated with the software they want, and give it to them.

Without them having the Admin password, what kind of damage can they do?

They wouldn't be able to install any software, but what else?

[ardvark71]

Re: What kind of Damage can a non-admin user do to a Linux system?

Without them having the Admin password, what kind of damage can they do?

They wouldn't be able to install any software, but what else?

Hi...

Giving them the password to their own system is something that should be done, unless it's your children's computer(s.) You could, of course, warn them of the consequences of logging in as root or using the "sudo" command.

Regards...

[dibl]

Re: What kind of Damage can a non-admin user do to a Linux system?

Let's see, what can you do with a browser?

In addition to that particular class of bad choices, there are some applications -- audacity as a recorder comes to mind -- that will build huge caches of data files, so it would not be out of the realm of possibility to fill up the filesystem and lock the OS. ext4 maintains a 5% "overhead" that will let the admin fix it, but until the junk is cleared, the system won't be usable.

Similar craziness can happen with a print spooler that is permitted to fill up, for some reason.

[sithlord48]

Re: What kind of Damage can a non-admin user do to a Linux system?

other then what dibl just said they can trash their own files and its possible for them to "break" their account by filling the partition that home lives on . this is why you get 5% for root..

[Telengard]

Re: What kind of Damage can a non-admin user do to a Linux system?

Aside from breaking the hardware, they can destroy or corrupt anything in their own home directory (/home/user/) as well as anything root explicitly grants them write access to.

It is possible to circumvent Unix permissions, but not without careful planning which presumes intimate knowledge of the system. A few people have demonstrated such techniques for educational purposes, but it not an easy feat by any means.

[GreyGeek]

Re: What kind of Damage can a non-admin user do to a Linux system?

Children are ingenious at finding ways to corrupt or break systems. So are idiots.

When I install a computer that will be run by adults and children I usually create a "Kids" account and a "Mom" account. I instruct the primary adult (admin) to keep the sudo password secret from EVERYONE else. Then I instruct him or her on how to delete an account that has been corrupted and to recreate it. It's when the primary adult goes crazy with sudo that I end up getting called. But, thankfully, that has happened only a couple times in the last four years.

[kubicle]

Re: What kind of Damage can a non-admin user do to a Linux system?

Since they have physical access to the machine, they can pretty much do anything with it...like boot into recovery mode with root access for starters. But that usually doesn't happen "accidentally", which I think was the point...to prevent them from accidentally trashing the system?

Using disk quotas can prevent individual users to fill up the whole home partition (they can still fill their own quota, of course, but that won't affect other users on the machine)

[woodsmoke]

Re: What kind of Damage can a non-admin user do to a Linux system?

I gave them a handout that I made up, then as above, made a kids account if necessary. Password was written physically in the handout.

i don't know that I ever had anyone have a problem and I donated a LOT of computers and gave them an e-mail to contact if they needed. Usually it was a hardware thing, dirt, COCKAROACHES!!! > But they were distros that were designed for stability, Xandros, Klikit.

woodsmoke