Bug#388399: FTBFS problems on alpha, mips[el]: Please help debugging

[Thiemo Seufer <ths@networkno.de>]

Ralf Stubner wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 30, 2006 at 18:12 +0100, Thiemo Seufer wrote:
> > Frank Küster wrote:
> > > Thiemo Seufer <ths@networkno.de> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > So, if I understand that correctly, the bug was fixed by running mktexmf
> > > > as non-root, and the change of the cache location is only a collateral.
> > > 
> > > No, or I do not understand what you mean.
> > 
> > I meant the the earlier security bug you mentioned. To me, the solution
> > for the earlier bug as well as the current one looks like keeping the
> > font cache in /var but maintaining it via a mktexmf user.
> 
> The problem is that mktexmf is a shell script (=no suid possible) that
> is started with the rights of the user. So the former solution required
> all users that wanted to use TeX to have write access below
> /var/cache/fonts.

Then I fail to understand

  a) why the old solution was a security problem when it does something
     similiar to e.g. /var/mail, and leaves the root-reserved part of
     the filesystem free,

  b) why moving the cache to $HOME or /tmp fixed the problem, given
     that all three probably reside on the same partition.


Thiemo