Subject: How does netatalk security work?

From: "David J. Topper" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 03 Sep 2001 20:34:27 +0000

Hi again,

So I've managed to get logins working, but I can't say I'm comfortable
with it.  The only way I could get things to work was:

1.  create a $HOME/.passwd file
2.  edit afsd.conf to only allow randnum or rand2num authentication

But this makes me nervous, because noplace is the user's actualy
password being used.  So that means that (with netatalk running) it's
possible to get access to a user's directories without ever knowing
their password?

Can someone explain what's going on?  This smells like a major security
hole to me.  I appreciate the nicety of being able to use passwords
other than the user's real one, but still.

Thanks,

DT
--
Technical Director, Virginia Center for Computer Music
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~djt7p
(804) 924-7355

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From: "David J. Topper" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 03 Sep 2001 21:42:04 +0000

Ok, I've got the ppds.  Everything seems to work.  No errors anywhere
when starting rc.atalk.  I can connect just fine.  I print from my Mac
and all seems well.  Unfortunately, nothing happens.  I get the
following in my syslog:

Sep  3 21:25:58 harmony papd[26446]: lp_conn_unix connect /dev/printer:
Connection refused
Sep  3 21:25:58 harmony papd[26446]: lp_print: lp_conn_unix: Connection
refused

I don't get it.  My papd.conf should be fine:

vccm_printer:\
     :pr=lp:op=root\
     :pd=/usr/local/atalk/ppds/hplj4mp.ppd:     

I'm running Slackware 7.1 and netatalk-1.4b+asun2.1.3.  I can print fine
from this printer from all my Linux boxes.  My /etc/printcap references
/dev/lp0 ... as it should.

Somebody ... please have an answer.

DT