[Pkg-sysvinit-devel] Bug#423132: initscripts: package scripts should not create directory in root

[Ben Finney]

Package: initscripts
Version: 2.86.ds1-38
Severity: normal

The postinst for initscripts attempts to create (and, later, remove) a 
directory in root:

=====
$ grep '\.root' /var/lib/dpkg/info/initscripts.*
/var/lib/dpkg/info/initscripts.postinst:        mkdir -p /.root
/var/lib/dpkg/info/initscripts.postinst:        if mount -n --bind / /.root ; then
/var/lib/dpkg/info/initscripts.postinst:                if [ -L /.root/var ] && [ ! -d /.root/var ] ; then
/var/lib/dpkg/info/initscripts.postinst:                        mkdir -p /.root/var/run /.root/var/lock
/var/lib/dpkg/info/initscripts.postinst:                umount /.root
/var/lib/dpkg/info/initscripts.postinst:        rmdir /.root
=====

This is rude -- don't create new top-level entries in the root 
directory unless warranted by the FHS -- and fails on systems (such as 
this one) where the root directory has 'setattr +i' for security.

=====
Setting up initscripts (2.86.ds1-38) ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/init.d/bootlogd ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/init.d/bootmisc.sh ...
[...]
Installing new version of config file /etc/init.d/urandom ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/default/tmpfs ...
mkdir: cannot create directory `/.root': Permission denied
dpkg: error processing initscripts (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 initscripts
=====

Please create temporary directories somewhere that can be expected to be
writable; the root directory is not the place for that.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 4.0
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (500, 'stable'), (90, 'testing')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.18-4-686
Locale: LANG=en_AU.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_AU.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8) (ignored: LC_ALL set to en_AU.UTF-8)

Versions of packages initscripts depends on:
ii  debianut 2.17                            Miscellaneous utilities specific t
ii  e2fsprog 1.39+1.40-WIP-2006.11.14+dfsg-2 ext2 file system utilities and lib
ii  libc6    2.3.6.ds1-13                    GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii  lsb-base 3.1-23.1                        Linux Standard Base 3.1 init scrip
ii  mount    2.12r-19                        Tools for mounting and manipulatin
ii  sysvinit 2.86.ds1-38                     System-V-like utilities

Versions of packages initscripts recommends:
ii  psmisc                        22.3-1     Utilities that use the proc filesy

-- no debconf information

-- 
 \        "I took it easy today. I just pretty much layed around in my |
  `\      underwear all day. ... Got kicked out of quite a few places, |
_o__)                           though."  -- Bug-Eyed Earl, _Red Meat_ |
Ben Finney <ben at benfinney.id.au>
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