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vlc -vvv
VLC is not supposed to be run as root. Sorry.
If you need to use real-time priorities and/or privileged TCP ports
you can use /usr/bin/vlc-wrapper (make sure it is Set-UID root first and
cannot be run by non-trusted users first).
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vlc-wrapper -vvv
Cannot determine unprivileged user for VLC!
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/*
if (geteuid () == 0)
{
fprintf (stderr, "VLC is not supposed to be run as root. Sorry.\n"
"If you need to use real-time priorities and/or privileged TCP ports\n"
"you can use %s-wrapper (make sure it is Set-UID root first and\n"
"cannot be run by non-trusted users first).\n", ppsz_argv[0]);
return 1;
}
*/
The only stupid idea is yours.This was a pretty stupid idea on VLC's part.
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I really don't care about the security risks of using a video player on my root account,Then why do you allow this thread to even exist? A user clearly pointed out the code to remove to get rid of your "feature", wouldn't that be putting the precious users at risk!? Imagine all the vicious bits and bytes going through his and everyone who followed his directions computers. Please put a stop to this!Yeah, and we do care that our users do not expose themselves to needless security risks, and that they do not expose others as well. Without reckless users, we would not have botnets, you know. Besides, this is common industry practice (try to run Apache with "User root" for instance).
I have recompiled it and applied the changes. The only issue I have with that now is that VLC is out of my package manager and I won't receive updates, possibly important to security, in a timely fashion unless I manually check.I don't like this thread, at all. I don't like the tone used here.
VLC must not be started as root for many reasons, security wise.
VLC hasn't had the same security audits that apache had. Therefore, as we don't want to be blame for those issues, we block the launch of VLC as root.
We are doing the support and this is difficult for us.
If you don't like this policy, then recompile your VLC to match this. If you don't like that this isn't mainline, then help us.
If you have a good reason to start VLC as root, I am all hears.
You didn't answer why you need VLC as root...I have recompiled it and applied the changes. The only issue I have with that now is that VLC is out of my package manager and I won't receive updates, possibly important to security, in a timely fashion unless I manually check.I don't like this thread, at all. I don't like the tone used here.
VLC must not be started as root for many reasons, security wise.
VLC hasn't had the same security audits that apache had. Therefore, as we don't want to be blame for those issues, we block the launch of VLC as root.
We are doing the support and this is difficult for us.
If you don't like this policy, then recompile your VLC to match this. If you don't like that this isn't mainline, then help us.
If you have a good reason to start VLC as root, I am all hears.
I'll be honest with you guys. It's a media player. I use it to play video formats that mplayer doesn't support right away and for streaming/dj purposes. I'm not running .m3u's filled with shellcode that'll cause buffer overflows that could potentially leave remote access to my pc even though that wouldn't get past the router firewall, I just want to play a couple of videos.
I appreciate your concern concerning me running my root account. It's a personal machine. I'm not running a server powering the user accounts for hundreds of web hosts, I'm just doing day to day stuff. I happen to dislike using sudo and having to type in my password every 30 minutes or whatever. I make system changes routinely and don't want to get stuck editing a file in the middle of vi only to find out I forgot to sudo it and will have to do that now.
Nobody goes on this machine but me. If a super exploit hits me through VLC, you guys can say I told you so. But so far, two years of running basically any application that I feel like under root has caused me no trouble. I have more than enough backups split across computers in my house to feel safe, and I would keep backing things up regardless if I'm root or a user account.
Would you guys block VLC from working on an administrator account in Windows? That's essentially what I'm doing on my machine. Of course you wouldn't. Basically all of your Window users are on admin accounts, that would be too unpopular. In that situation you could always tell the user to fix the code themselves, but this shouldn't be about only making options known to the knowledgeable. Someone who doesn't understand C code or compiling would be stuck right now in my situation.
At the least, there should be an opt-out for this "feature" short of recompiling the code.
That's not a problem at all for me. In fact, VLC would work perfectly on a user account. Except when I turn on my machine, I login to the root account. VLC would work just as well under the root account as a user account, except a slight "feature" is interfering.If VLC does not work as non-root, either your distro or your configuration is broken. Put the blame where it belongs. Not here.
I need VLC as root because I login to X as root. I do all of my work as root. I enjoy never having to see the words "permission denied."You didn't answer why you need VLC as root...
Moreover, VLC is not 'just a media player', it is a network stream player, a server, a streamer and a transcoder and therefore dangerous for your security.
I also habitually run as root. I smoke and drink, too.You didn't answer why you need VLC as root...
Moreover, VLC is not 'just a media player', it is a network stream player, a server, a streamer and a transcoder and therefore dangerous for your security.
Now you guys owe me big time 
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apt-get purge vlc
apt-get autoremoveReturn to “VLC media player for Linux and friends Troubleshooting”
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