When There is No Root User

• You have a software rollout for <PRODUCT>, which must be installed as UID <PRODUCT>.
• Sudo says you aren’t cleared to run any command as <PRODUCT UID> on the target host.
• The admins are all out sick.
• The developer is on vacation.
• The target host is going live for <PRODUCT> in 30 minutes
  ready-or-not.

NO FEAR…

… if you have sudo chmod privileges and know something neat about SSH user keys.

•  
  1. Create an SSH key on your local box if you don’t have one already.
  2. Connect to the target box, and cd to ~product.
  3. If ~product/.ssh exists, change permissions on it to allow you to read and write. Otherwise, create ~product/.ssh
  4. Now cd .ssh and chmod authorized_keys (YMMV) to o+w.
  5. Append your public key to the authorized_keys file.
  6. Restore permissions on authorized_keys
  7. Go up to ~product and restore permissions on .ssh
  8. From your local box: ssh  <PRODUCT>@target_host

If you reset permissions correctly, you have just connected directly as the target product ID.

Admins: please remember this is why sudo su can be a bad thing. Want to find these people?

Advertisement