Security – When to Use pkexec vs. gksu/gksudo

guipolicykitrootSecuritysudo

There are two general ways to run applications graphically as root (or, more generally, as another user). Programs like gksu, gksudo, and kdesudo are graphical frontends for sudo. In contrast, pkexec is a graphical frontend for PolicyKit.

When manually running programs as root (or as another, non-root user), what are the advantages/disadvantages (if any) of using pkexec, compared to the more traditional method of using a sudo frontend?

Best Answer

PolicyKit is more configurable, though pkexec doesn't make use of this configurability. Also, pkexec show the user the full path of the program that will be started, to that the user is a bit more sure what will happen. The so-called 'policies` of PolicyKit can be used to set more advances settings. For example, whether the password should be remembered.

Something I got from the pkexec manual:

The environment that PROGRAM will run it, will be set to a minimal known and safe environment in order to avoid injecting code through LD_LIBRARY_PATH or similar mechanisms. In addition the PKEXEC_UID environment variable is set to the user id of the process invoking pkexec. As a result, pkexec will not allow you to run e.g. X11 applications as another user since the $DISPLAY environment variable is not set.

More information on policies or action definitions from the pkexec manual:

   To specify what kind of authorization is needed to execute the program
   /usr/bin/pk-example-frobnicate as another user, simply write an action
   definition file like this

       <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
       <!DOCTYPE policyconfig PUBLIC
        "-//freedesktop//DTD PolicyKit Policy Configuration 1.0//EN"
        "http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/PolicyKit/1/policyconfig.dtd">
       <policyconfig>

         <vendor>Examples for the PolicyKit Project</vendor>
         <vendor_url>http://hal.freedesktop.org/docs/PolicyKit/</vendor_url>

         <action id="org.freedesktop.policykit.example.pkexec.run-frobnicate">
           <description>Run the PolicyKit example program Frobnicate</description>
           <description xml:lang="da">Kør PolicyKit eksemplet Frobnicate</description>
           <message>Authentication is required to run the PolicyKit example program Frobnicate</message>
           <message xml:lang="da">Autorisering er påkrævet for at afvikle PolicyKit eksemplet Frobnicate</message>
           <icon_name>audio-x-generic</icon_name>
           <defaults>
             <allow_any>no</allow_any>
             <allow_inactive>no</allow_inactive>
             <allow_active>auth_self_keep</allow_active>
           </defaults>
           <annotate key="org.freedesktop.policykit.exec.path">/usr/bin/pk-example-frobnicate</annotate>
         </action>

       </policyconfig>

   and drop it in the /usr/share/polkit-1/actions directory under a
   suitable name (e.g. matching the namespace of the action). Note that in
   addition to specifying the program, the authentication message,
   description, icon and defaults can be specified. For example, for the
   action defined above, the following authentication dialog will be
   shown:

       [IMAGE][2]

           +----------------------------------------------------------+
           |                     Authenticate                     [X] |
           +----------------------------------------------------------+
           |                                                          |
           |  [Icon]  Authentication is required to run the PolicyKit |
           |          example program Frobnicate                      |
           |                                                          |
           |          An application is attempting to perform an      |
           |          action that requires privileges. Authentication |
           |          is required to perform this action.             |
           |                                                          |
           |          Password: [__________________________________]  |
           |                                                          |
           | [V] Details:                                             |
           |  Command: /usr/bin/pk-example-frobnicate                 |
           |  Run As:  Super User (root)                              |
           |  Action:  org.fd.pk.example.pkexec.run-frobnicate        |
           |  Vendor:  Examples for the PolicyKit Project             |
           |                                                          |
           |                                  [Cancel] [Authenticate] |
           +----------------------------------------------------------+

   If the user is using the da_DK locale, the dialog looks like this:

       [IMAGE][3]

           +----------------------------------------------------------+
           |                     Autorisering                     [X] |
           +----------------------------------------------------------+
           |                                                          |
           |  [Icon]  Autorisering er påkrævet for at afvikle         |
           |          PolicyKit eksemplet Frobnicate                  |
           |                                                          |
           |          Et program forsøger at udføre en handling der   |
           |          kræver privilegier. Autorisering er påkrævet.   |
           |                                                          |
           |          Kodeord: [___________________________________]  |
           |                                                          |
           | [V] Detaljer:                                            |
           |  Bruger:   Super User (root)                             |
           |  Program:  /usr/bin/pk-example-frobnicate                |
           |  Handling: org.fd.pk.example.pkexec.run-frobnicate       |
           |  Vendor:   Examples for the PolicyKit Project            |
           |                                                          |
           |                                [Annullér] [Autorisering] |
           +----------------------------------------------------------+

   Note that pkexec does no validation of the ARGUMENTS passed to PROGRAM.
   In the normal case (where administrator authentication is required
   every time pkexec is used), this is not a problem since if the user is
   an administrator he might as well just run pkexec bash to get root.

   However, if an action is used for which the user can retain
   authorization (or if the user is implicitly authorized), such as with
   pk-example-frobnicate above, this could be a security hole. Therefore,
   as a rule of thumb, programs for which the default required
   authorization is changed, should never implicitly trust user input
   (e.g. like any other well-written suid program).
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