[MUD-Dev] (fwd) Functional Security

[Matt Chatterley]

On Thu, 19 Mar 1998, J C Lawrence wrote:

> Worth thinking about:

> From: "Scott G. Stewart" <sstewart at or.cadix.com>
> Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.lp
> Subject: Functional Security
> Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 14:23:46 -0800
> 

Always an interesting matter.
 
> The few LPC security schemes I have looked at seem to emphasize file
> system security (the ability to read or write a file).  Is functional
> security (the ability to invoke a function in an object) downplayed, or
> have I missed something?

It does exist in MudOS, but yes, is often downplayed, it seems. I haven't
gone to any great lengths to change this (the only functions that I have
really secured are those that interface with the FS and other 'sensitive'
parts of the game backbone.

One problem with introducing heavy function-security is that unless you
design it in what appears (to me) a quite cumbersome way, you will cause
problems when you wish unprivaleged objects to interact with each other in
theoretically sensitive ways.
 
> When I looked at the Lima code, I saw that the monster "die()" function
> had no security....  Does this mean that a "hostile" wizard could create
> an object which calls that function on any given target?

It means that any object can call this function, yes. This is *desirable*.
If you want to create an object, say.. a magical wand, which can utilize a
'death ray' with a 10% chance of killing its target, and 5% chance of
backfiring to kill its wielder - you don't want to kill them by *damage*
because that is not a definite 'kill' and is unpredictable. Thus you use
this function.
 
> I can imagine a Mud where wizards have creation capability,  but compete
> against each other, and are therefore bound by certain rules.  In such a
> situation, you would not want one wizard to call the functions in
> another's object.

All my wizards have 'creation capability' and compete to a degree (not in
any game sense - a little more later). This sounds the poster is 
describing the wizards being in active competition, as opposed to working
as any sort of buildling team.

On the note of 'wizard games' - a mud based around 'megalomania' or one of
the various spin offs would probably be huge fun. :)

--
Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
Spod: http://user.super.net.uk/~neddy/spod/spod.html