Re: Updates of SE-PostgreSQL 8.4devel patches (r1197)

Simon Riggs wrote:
> > > So if somebody with context x tries to delete value1 from TableB, they
> > > will be refused because of a row they cannot see. In this case the
> > > correct action is to update the tuple in TableB so it now has a
> > > security_context = y. The user with x cannot see it and can be persuaded
> > > he deleted it, while the user with y can still see it.
> >
> > It seems odd for a low-privilege user to be able to elevate the
> > privilege of a tuple above their own privilege level. I also don't
> > believe that the privilege level is a total order, which might make
> > this something of a sticky wicket. But those are just my thoughts as
> > a non-guru.
>
> The low-privilege user isn't elevating the label. If the tuple was
> visible by multiple labels it was already elevated. All I am suggesting
> is the system remove the one it can see, leaving the other ones intact.
> This makes the row appear to be deleted by the lower privileged user,
> whereas in fact it was merely updated. There need not be any ordering to
> the labels for this scheme to work.

Simon, would you read the chapter on "covert channels"? You might
understand it better than I do and it might give you some ideas:

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.33.5950

--
Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> http://momjian.us
EnterpriseDB http://enterprisedb.com

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