GNU bug report logs - #22202
24.5; SECURITY ISSUE -- Emacs Server vulnerable to random number generator attack on Windows systems

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Message #20 received at 22202 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: David Engster <deng <at> randomsample.de>
To: Richard Copley <rcopley <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, 22202 <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
 Demetri Obenour <demetriobenour <at> gmail.com>
Subject: Re: bug#22202: 24.5;
 SECURITY ISSUE -- Emacs Server vulnerable to random number generator
 attack on Windows systems
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 2015 21:00:55 +0100

Richard Copley writes:
> On 29 December 2015 at 16:21, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> wrote:
>>> Date: Tue, 29 Dec 2015 15:36:12 +0000
>>> From: Richard Copley <rcopley <at> gmail.com>
>>>
>
>>> > Please provide the necessary details for reproducing this problem and
>>> > verifying the solution.  What I'm missing:
>>> >
>>> > > 1. Be logged into the same Windows computer as someone else.
>>> >
>>> > How do you do that?  I understand you are describing a situation where
>>> > 2 users are logged into the same Windows system simultaneously using
>>> > the same credentials, is that true?  If so, how to create such a
>>> > situation?
>>>
>>> I don't think that is possible; however, two /different/ accounts can
>>> be logged in to a computer at the same time, via Remote Desktop or
>>> Fast User Switching.
>>
>> Logging in via Remote Desktop usurps the system, AFAIK.  So these
>> possibilities are not relevant to the issue at hand.
>
> That is definitely not correct. In some configurations several users
> can connect via remote desktop. I do this every day. It /might/ be
> necessary to have a "Professional" and/or Server edition of Windows.
> A licensed Terminal Server supports dozens of sessions at once.

That's correct (it requires a Windows Server with enabled terminal
services), but each user session has of course its own process space, so
I don't see how the described attack could work there.

-David

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