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Authorization

The network transparency of the X Window System holds special risks. For example, you can dump the contents of any window if you have access to the X Window server. Special security methods are used to restrict the access to an X Window server. There are two classes of methods:

Only X Window clients running on certain machines are allowed to connect to the server (host access control). The server checks the host's network address.

The X Window server examines a key sent by the client during connection setup (e.g. using the MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 mechanism). Normally the key is stored in a file which can be accessed by the user only ($HOME/.Xauthority usually).

The XbigX proxy transparently supports both classes of access control. However, there are two levels of authorization:

on the one hand the authorization of the X Window clients by the XbigX proxy

and on the other hand the authorization of the XbigX proxy by the X Window server.

Authorization of the X Window clients by the XbigX proxy

The XbigX proxy authorizes its clients like an X Window server.

When (re-)initializing, the xbigx program reads the names of the hosts, which are permitted by host access control, from the file /etc/Xdisplay_number.hosts. The display_number corresponds to the client connection (X Window client connection), hence usually 0. Local connections are generally allowed. You may add or delete machines later using the program xhost.

For authorization through a key (the XbigX proxy supports MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 and XDM-AUTHORIZATION-1), the statement

authorization file_name|none

specifies an authorization file, which the XbigX proxy uses to authorize X Window clients.

However, if there is an authorization file defined through the -auth argument in a serverCommand statement (X Window server), then this file is also used by the XbigX proxy. Display managers usually append the -auth argument (With a display manager).

A display manager may transmit the authorization key to the xbigx program through the Display Manager Control Protocol (X Display Manager Control Protocol).

The statement

accessControl on|off

switches the authorization of clients generally on (default value) or off.

Authorization of the XbigX proxy by the X Window server

The XbigX proxy must be authorized by the X Window server like a normal client. If the access to the real X Window server is unlimited, any access restriction by XbigX is useless.

For host access control, the name of the machine running the xbigx program must be written into the access file, usually the file /etc/Xdisplay_number.hosts, unless the xbigx program and the X Window server are running on the same machine. The display_number corresponds to the display number of the X Window server (X Window server), hence usually 1 with the proxy, otherwise 0. Using the program xhost, the hostname can be added later when the X Window server is already running.

For key authorization (the XbigX proxy supports MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 and XDM-AUTHORIZATION-1) the file $HOME/.Xauthority and the environment variable $XAUTHORITY are relevant. However they can be overridden by the statement

serverAuthorization file_name|own|none

defining an authorization file, which is used by the XbigX proxy only for the authorization by the X Window server, which is started by the proxy, namely through the serverCommand statement (X Window server).

The parameter own lets the XbigX proxy generate a random key for authorization by the X Window server.

If this server side authorization file is not configured, the xbigx program tries to get an appropriate key from the client side (Authorization of the X Window clients by the XbigX proxy). In general it succeeds if the authorization file is configured by the display manager using the -auth argument. (With a display manager).

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