Re: PL/SQL Execute permissions

Thomas J. Kyte wrote:
>
> In article <393FA534.BC47351D_at_Unforgetable.com>,
> Walter T Rejuney <BlueSax_at_Unforgetable.com> wrote:
> > Why do users have the ability to use DBMS_OUTPUT without any DBA
> > intervention, but if they try to use DBMS_SYSTEM they don't have
> > permission to execute it until the DBA gives explicit permission. I
 know
> > there must be other procedures that are like this but this is one
 that I
> > recently ran into.
> >
>
> dbms_output = harmless package that everyone needs. no inherit
> security risks in everyone having at it. very safe. very useful.
>
> dbms_system = undocumented package. Full of things I don't want my
> typical user doing. Like turning on trace in someone elses session.
> Like setting events in their session. Like writing nastygrams into my
> alert.log
>
> You'll find the packages granted to public are "safe", "harmless"
> packages. Packages not granted to public (eg: dbms_pipe) can do things
> that are "bad" in the wrong hands. With dbms_pipe for example -- if
> you wrote a program to listen on a pipe and write procedures to put
> messages into that pipe and granted execute on those procedures
> to "sue".... think about what could happen if public had execute on
> dbms_pipe and "bob" wanted to talk to your pipe server -- he could try
> to get access to YOUR procedure (but he can't, you won't give it to
> him) or he could use dbms_pipe to talk directly to your pipe server and
> you would never know the difference.
>
> --
> Thomas Kyte (tkyte_at_us.oracle.com) Oracle Service Industries
> Howtos and such: http://osi.oracle.com/~tkyte/index.html
> Oracle Magazine: http://www.oracle.com/oramag
> Opinions are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of Oracle Corp
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.

Thomas - is there any doco (offical or otherwise) about DBMS_SYSTEM. Naturally you can see the public parts of the package (SET_EV etc etc) but actually knowing what each proc does has always been somewhat guesswork for me...

Connor

-- 
===========================================
Connor McDonald
http://www.oracledba.co.uk

We are born naked, wet and hungry...then things get worse