[wplug] troubles with Seyon & Minicom

[Hagbard Celine]

> 
> I want to ask you for help about Minicom and Seyon.
> 
> 1) Seyon:
> When I try to start seyon
> 
> $ seyon -modems /dev/modem
> (/dev/modem is a link to cua1 ; it doesn't matter, as
> I try also
> /dev/cua1
> /dev/cua0
> /dev/ttyS1
> /dev/ttyS0    but it will do the same)
> 
> it will complain, saying
> --------------
> Locating Modems...
> >> Error: Unable to Open Modem ``/dev/modem'':
> Permission denied.
> Modem ``/dev/modem'' is Unavailable.
> 
Seyon says "Permission denied".  There's where to start looking.  You later say
that you are running Slackware 3.6, so I take it that your tty and callout
permissions are 640.  That's going to present a problem if you try to run seyon
non-root.  I'm guessing that minicom works because it might be running SUID
root (someone please confirm or refute this)...

Permission problems are always tricky.  Just what do you allow, and to whom?
Setting permissions on /dev/ttyS0 to 666 and linking /dev/modem to /dev/ttyS0
should let any user do anything with that device, but could someone indicate
whether or not this would open any serious security holes?

Hagbard